Natural Instinct
by Kaymanay
Summary: Albus Dumbledore places a Lycanthropic Hermione Granger in the care of Remus Lupin. The only problem is: She’s travelled back to 1977. THIS STORY IS ABANDONED!
1. Chapter 1

**Author**: Kaymanay

**Title**: Natural Instinct

**Ship**: Hermione/Remus

**Era**: Multiple

**Summary: **Albus Dumbledore places a Lycanthropic Hermione Granger in the care of Remus Lupin. The only problem is: She's travelled back to 1977.

**A/N**: I've recently found an interest in HG/RL, especially time-travel fics! I just had to write this, it was begging to be written. Sorry!

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**Chapter 1.**

The first thing Hermione Granger noticed, as she fought her way to consciousness, was the sound of two distinctly familiar male voices holding a murmured conversation somewhere above her, and whilst Hermione recognised both voices she was hard pressed to put names to them in the confusing fog that stubbornly surrounded her mind. The second thing Hermione noticed, as she broke the surface of consciousness, was the nauseatingly strong medicinal smell, which alerted her to the fact she was currently taking up residence in the Hogwarts Hospital Wing. The third and final thing Hermione noticed as she was pulled completely into consciousness, was the searing, agonising pain centred somewhere around her right collarbone, which was sending off shockwaves of pain that rebounded off every part of her body. And so, Hermione, ever the quick thinker, surmised this searing, agonising pain was the reason she was currently setting up shop with Madame Pomfrey

Hermione let out a sigh-like groan as she shifted painfully in the bed, pain rocketing over every inch of her body. The abrupt halt in the conversation going on above her did not go unnoticed, and soon the distinct sound of shoes on marble could be heard as Madame Pomfrey marched her way towards Hermione. Within seconds Hermione had been forced into a sitting position, and was smacking and licking her lips in distaste of the foul tasting potion that had been forced down her throat, blinking blearily at the two men in front of her as she felt the pain on her collarbone dull slightly.

"Miss Granger?" Hermione's eyes quickly found the speaker, pupils shrinking as her eyesight came into focus. Hermione flinched as suddenly every single one of her senses went into overload; everything around her seemed to be violent and harsh to her eyes, the soft breathing of the two men in front of her pounded in her head, she could almost taste the regret that filled the room when she took a deep breath, and the once soft sheets of the hospital wing grated against her bare arms and legs as if it were sand. Hermione felt her agitation growing, desperately fighting the urge to growl at the old man standing in front of her, instead settling for a scowl.

"Professor Dumbledore?" Her voice was hoarse, slightly husky and she shifted uncomfortably. "What happened? Why am I here?" Hermione was struggling to keep the anger from her voice. Everything seemed to agitate her, she could feel her rage burning in the pit of her stomach; her hormones seemed to be going into overdrive.

"Miss Granger, I'm afraid you've had an accident …"

Hermione's nerve endings were set on end, and she ground her teeth together in rage, _don't patronise me old man._

"… It appears you had an encounter with Fenrir Greyback last night …"

Hermione continued to grind her teeth, not bothering to hide the malice showing on her face.

"… We had hoped for the best Miss Granger…"

Hermione's blood froze in her veins, and all traces of anger quickly fled. _No_. _Oh God please no!_

"… Last night was the first of three in which the moon is full …"

A lead weight settled in Hermione's stomach and she could taste bile in her throat. _No, not me. Not now._

"… I'm afraid you were inflicted with Lycanthropy, we tried everything, and I am so sorry, Hermione." Hermione stared at Dumbledore with a mixture of shock and disbelief. _This isn't happening_.

"So I'm a Lycanthrope? I'm going to turn into a Werewolf?" Hermione asked her voice breaking, panic not withstanding. Dumbledore nodded gravely. Hermione felt her anger building again. It couldn't be happening, not to her.

A slight movement to Hermione's left brought Hermione's attention to the quiet figure of Remus Lupin, who stood watching her with an unreadable expression. She knew he was concerned though. She wasn't quite sure how she knew, it was like she could smell it, almost as if it were palatable, heavy in the air around her. There was something else there though, something new, yet so familiar, something that smelt so feral, dangerous, barely being controlled. _The beast_. Hermione was surprised she could sense it, but when she looked closer she was surprised she had never seen it before, it seemed to surround him, radiate from him.

Hermione found herself comforted by his presence, almost as if the barely controlled presence of his inner wolf calmed her own, she knew he would help her with this, guide her through this. He had suffered through this for years; he knew what was going to happen to her. Hermione's eyes focussed on the faint scars marring his handsome face, scars caused by his lycanthropy, scars she had hardly noticed before, scars so faint she had never seen them, scars which now seemed to jump out at her. He did this every month, he transformed into a werewolf for three nights every month, he went through … what ever it is that happens. _Oh god, will it hurt?_

"Will it hurt?" she asked, finally meeting his eyes "The transformations, I mean."

"Yes." His voice was soft and calm, strained with understanding, eyes intense. She couldn't hold them. Hermione's eyes found a vicious looking scar on the crook of his neck, still slightly pink, as if it were fresh.

Remus stood calmly as she scrutinised him, shivering slightly as her hungry eyes lingered on the scar that had turned him into a Lycanthrope.

"How much will it hurt?" Her eyes were still focused on the scar. He grimaced slightly as he remembered his first transformation. The first was always the worst.

"It'll hurt enough," Remus said gently, "But the first is always the worst, it gets easier with time." He took a step forward when her eyes dropped to her hands in her lap. "Hermione, I know exactly how hard it is to be going through this; I know how scared you are, how confused you are. But it's going to be alright. I promise you, everything will be fine. I've suffered for 33 years!"

Hermione lifted her eyes to his again and nodded her head slightly. She was scared, gut-wrenchingly terrified, yet she couldn't help but be comforted by Remus' words. He seemed so sure, and she allowed herself to be assured.

Hermione's head snapped to her right when Dumbledore took a step away from her bed, her senses and reflexes were still in overdrive. Dumbledore smiled apologetically. "I'm afraid I must leave for a short time Miss Granger, however, I will return tonight to administer the Wolfsbane potion to you. Would you like me to send Messer's Potter and Weasley up?" Hermione's heart began pounding again, the taste of bile fresh in her throat. _No, no Harry and Ron, oh No_!

"Yes, thank you Professor." Hermione replied meekly. Hermione sighed despondently and let her eyes fall back down to her hands, one of which had a large gash running along the palm, and listened to the soft sound of Dumbledore's retreating footfalls..

"I must say, I'm very impressed with how well you're controlling your temper, I find I still have a lot of trouble with it every now and again," Hermione jumped as Remus spoke again, he stood closer to her now, a faint smile on his lips. "I had much more trouble with my temper, but then I suppose you at 18 have much better control over your emotions than I did at 5"

Hermione's eyes flew to his in horror. He simply stood there, a sad smile on his lips. "I find myself wishing I were 18 again, if only to better understand how I can best guide you through this. It would appear I am guilty of the most common crime among old fogies; forgetting what it is to be young"

Hermione snorted in amusement, he certainly didn't look old, not much older than 30 at least, his prematurely greying hair the only sign of his age. She couldn't imagine him being old.

"Would you like me to remain with you whilst you explain everything to Harry and Ron?" Hermione looked at her old professor in shock, yet couldn't help but feel relieved at his offer. Smiling in appreciation Hermione nodded and pointed towards the chair at the side of her bed.

"I think I could use the company anyway, Remus".

* * *

Hermione's heart pounded as she followed Remus towards the room Dumbledore had offered them; a private room in a secluded part of the castle, where no one would stumble across them. This was just a precaution, they had told her, as she had been guaranteed the Wolfsbane potion she would receive upon reaching her destination would allow her to maintain control over herself after her transformation. She was terrified, and Remus could smell it, she could tell by the concerned looks he kept shooting her over his shoulder. She felt anxious, she didn't like being so easy for him to read.

Hermione turned sharply to her left, following him down a dark corridor, a wry smile curling her lips as she considered the fact that had she been without her knew refined reflexes and speed she would have fallen over her own feet attempting to make such a sharp turn. Remus had commented on the fact that she had adjusted to the changes within her body a lot quicker that he had expected her to; the onslaught on her senses no longer overwhelming, but still slightly distracting, whilst she had quickly adjusted to her new reflexes, strength and speed, completely missing out the clumsy adjustment stage. Hermione had felt a wry sort of Pride at his comment. But now … now she was so terrified, so bone chillingly scared. Every muscle in her body was tense, and she knew she was affecting Remus, if the new-found stiffness in his posture was anything to go by.

Hermione unclenched her fists, letting out a deep breath in an attempt to excel her anxieties as well as the breath. She was relieved when it worked, her muscles relaxing briefly before immediately tensing up again as Remus stopped in front of a portrait at the very end of cul-de-sac corridor. The portrait swung open without any prompting, and Remus swept into the room behind it with Hermione in tow. The room inside was elegant and beautifully decorated, and Hermione wandered briefly on the state of it in the morning before her eyes registered the figure of Severus Snape draped elegantly over a black armchair, a goblet smoking on the table to his left.

Hermione watched apprehensively as Snape stood, grabbing the goblet and took a step towards Hermione. She was surprised when he lay a gentle hand on her shoulder, a heart-rending look in his eyes, and she was even more surprised when he pulled her into his arms in a fatherly hug murmuring "I am so sorry, dear child. I wouldn't wish this on anyone, least of all you" Snape then stood back, acting as if nothing out of the normal had transpired, pressing the Goblet into her hand and explaining to her what she already knew "However, Wolfsbane is normally taken over three days. Dumbledore informed me that by adding more ground Murtlap, it should take effect much quicker, however, it may also knock you out, Merlin be willing, which means you won't be conscious during the transformation." He then pressed a thick scroll of parchment into her hands explaining that due to his work for the order he may not always be around to brew the potion for her and the scroll included the ingredients and instructions on the brewing of Wolfsbane. Hermione thanked him, somewhat teary, and turned her attention to the goblet in her had that looked more like the inside of a pensive than a potion.

With a deep breath that proved the potion to be odourless, she lifted the Goblet to her lips and downed the potion in three large gulps. She could feel both men's eyes on her as she drank the potion, the heat of embarrassment flushing her cheeks as she handed the goblet back to Snape with weak thanks. Both seemed to watch Hermione with bated breath for a few seconds, before letting out disappointed sighs at the fact she had remained upright and conscious.

_Looks like I have to go through this_.

With a nod to Remus, and a last helpless look in Hermione's direction, Snape swept out of the room, leaving Hermione and Remus locked in for the night. Hermione ventured a look in the direction of her old professor and was surprised to find his robes neatly folded on the armchair in front of him. Her eyes flew to Remus and she was even more surprised to find one of his hands loosening the knot in his tie, and the other working the buttons at the bottom of his shirt. As if sensing her eyes on him he turned his head towards her and his eyebrows rose expectantly "I would suggest ridding yourself of any clothing you don't want destroyed during the transformation, Hermione" He explained, not unkindly. Hermione nodded slowly, swallowing hard, trying not to appear affected by his lack of clothing.

Hermione turned her head back towards the window she had been looking out of and began pulling on the clasps of her robe, slipping it off her shoulders and tossing it haphazardly onto the large table beside her. She made quick work of her jumper and tie, before toeing of her shoes and removing her socks. Hermione looked down at her shirt and skirt and felt herself blush in embarrassment. Hermione looked at Remus quickly before snapping her head back towards the window, heart hammering, he had been in his underwear, folding his trousers up and placing them on the table.

Hermione stiffened when she felt a hand softly grip her shoulder. "It won't be long." He said hoarsely, "Minutes, I can feel it". Hermione looked up at the moon which already appeared to be full to her. _I'll probably be able to tell the difference in a few months_. The hand her shoulder lifted and she heard him quietly moving away. That's when she felt it, the tingling in her skin. From the tops of her hair, to the tips on toes she was tingling. Hermione spun around with a gasp and was relieved to see Remus looking out a window on the other side of the room. His jaw was clenched, and his shoulders rigid. Hermione quickly shed her skirt and shirt and turned back to the window. The moon was now a perfectly shaped sphere in the sky.

Hermione let out a gasp as the bite on her neck gave a painful throb. Her breathing became laboured as her entire body began to ache, her bite mark still throbbing painfully. She could feel herself shaking violently with fear, and tears were rolling freely down her face. She gave a whimper as Remus let out a pain-filled moan, and fell to her knees with a cry as pain rocketed through her spine and down her legs. Her body was suddenly on fire, it was searing hot pain and it filled every fibre of her being and she tried to block out the sound of Remus' cries in the background, but she couldn't. Oh God, what if they were hers?

She was stretching, her skin was stretching and changing and it was still on fire and it was just so painful, so damn painful, and she wanted it to stop so much. But it didn't, and it continued to get worse and worse, and it was just so much agony. She could feel her neck stretching, and her teeth and nails lengthening, and suddenly her eyesight and her sense of smell sharpened even more. The metallic tang of blood was thick in the air.

God she wished the pain would just stop. Hermione cried out again and again, her cries quickly turning to screams and shrieks. And just when she thought it was too much, just when she thought she couldn't take anymore an agonised howl was ripped from the very depths her body before everything quickly turned black.

* * *

When Hermione awoke the next morning, it was to the familiar jarring of her body that only came with being carried somewhere bridal style. Her entire body was vibrating with the agony that still seemed to sear her, and she could feel the wet trickle of blood on various parts of her body. She vaguely registered the fact she was back in her uniform with a cloak wrapped around her, as she blinked blearily up at a familiar face, one that in her confused state she couldn't quite place. Though she decided that he was really quite handsome, and she thought he had pretty hair. And much to her much later embarrassment; she told him so.

"You have pretty hair"

She wasn't sure but there might have been several chuckles around her. The handsome man chuckled and shifted her slightly, and the agonising vibrations of her body intensified causing Hermione to let out a pained whimper, before everything once again went black.

When Hermione awoke for the second time that morning, it was to the familiar sand-like texture on the hospital wing beds, and in decidedly less pain. With a groan Hermione pushed herself into a sitting position, hissing as several of the gashes on her body rubbed against the roughness of the bed sheets. Running a shaky hand through her wild hair, she looked blearily at the faces staring at her from the foot of her bed

Hermione blinked.

_It couldn't be?_

_It wasn't possible! _

_How the hell …?_

* * *

A/N: Ok then, so that's chapter one! I'm new to the Hermione/Remus scene! Un-Beta'd as usual because I just don't have the patience in me. Erm … constructive criticism always welcome! So yea … much Lub (that means Love, by the way) to everyone and I sincerely hope you enjoy this – second chapters nearly done. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Author**: Kaymanay

**Title**: Natural Instinct

**Ship**: Hermione/Remus

**Era**: Multiple

**Summary: **Albus Dumbledore places a Lycanthropic Hermione Granger in the care of Remus Lupin. The only problem is: She's travelled back to 1977.

A/N: Chapter 2! Erm, Yea? I actually don't have anything to say? Enjoy the chapter! Except thank you to everyone for all the really great reviews! I honestly didn't expect it to be liked!

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**Chapter 2**

Hermione stared apprehensively at the curious faces of Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black, and James Potter. To her surprise they all looked concerned. God it was surreal. It was like seeing ghosts. She had to be dreaming. Sirius hadn't changed much, still devastatingly handsome, a bright gleam to his eyes as he smiled gently at her. James was the easiest to recognise. Harry really was the spitting image of his father, all messy black hair and charming smiles, hazel eyes shining, his nose longer, and slightly crooked. Peter was the biggest shock of all; a small wiry boy with thick sandy hair that brushed the tops of his ears and big blue eyes that reminded her of a child.

_Sweet Merlin._

Hermione, panicking slightly at the surreal situation, said the first thing that came to her head.

"Oh my God, what the hell?" It had all been said in somewhat of a rush, and she flushed as her voice croaked on the rising note of the question, her voice hoarse and gravely. This seemed to break the trance and the three boys all broke out in identical grins.

Hermione sunk back into her pillows as Sirius stepped forward and his grin widened into a charming smile as he introduced himself "I'm Sirius Black"

_Yea and you're dead back in my time, so why the hell are you standing in front of me?_

"That's James Potter" He said motioning to a black haired boy with wire rimmed glasses,

_Also dead_,

"That's Peter Pettigrew"

_Traitor_

"And this little ray of sunshine here, is Remus Lupin" He said motioning to the bed on Hermione's left. Hermione turned to find a much younger Remus Lupin, mousy brown hair falling over his eyes and ears curling slightly at the ends, his golden eyes glaring moodily at them from his bed.

_I saw you in your underwear last night_. Hermione flushed pink as the thought entered her head, and she did her best to offer him a feeble smile, Lupin continuing to glare as she did so.

"You'll have to excuse our Dear Moony here," It was Peter who spoke now, pulling her attention back to the three boys who were positioned around her bed, "He turns into a bit of a Git three days out of the month, he's a bit like a woman in that respect" James and Sirius started to snicker.

Hermione nearly choked on her own spit when she heard Lupin call out a nasty "Fuck you, Wormtail" his voice as hoarse and gravely as her own. She couldn't help the half cough, half laugh that escaped her lips as she remembered him telling her he had been especially bad tempered during his teen years. She was saved any questions about herself by the appearance of Madame Pince.

"That's enough of that language, Mr Lupin. Especially in the presence of young ladies" She heard a loud snort coming from the general direction of Lupin's bed, but she was too awed by the sight of a somewhat youthful, dark-haired Madame Pince, who was walking towards her with a warm smile on her lips. The nurse stopped in between her own bed and Lupin's, handing them identical potions.

"It'll help with the injuries" She told an apprehensive Hermione, who downed the sour potion as quickly as possible. _These heightened senses have their disadvantages_, she thought as she fought the urge to gag. The Medi-Witch then proceeded to pull a large bar of Honeydukes chocolate out of her robes and broke it in half, passing both of her patients one of the two pieces. She then turned to the small boy on Hermione's right "Peter, be a dear and go fetch Professor Dumbledore, will you?" Hermione was surprised to see a fond smile grace the young witches face as Peter gathered his things hurriedly.

Peter ran off with a cheery goodbye to Hermione, and Madame Pomfrey left them to tend to some potions in her office. Hermione shrank back into the bed, nibbling nervously on the chocolate as three pairs of suspicious eyes turned to her, the sound of Peters retreating footfalls ringing in her ears. Hermione kept her eyes down, her agitation beginning to bubble up, building more and more with every second they continued to stare at her. She fisted her hand into the quilt covering her legs, her eyes narrowed in annoyance and she ground her teeth loudly. She could feel Lupin's stare intensify, and she tried desperately to calm herself.

_Don't lose your temper; stay calm, it's just the wolf, the beast, don't relinquish control. Remember what Remus said: You control the beast, it doesn't control you. Take deep, calming breaths._

Hermione's nostrils flared as she breathed in deeply, taking in the scent of the three boys who continued to watch her. She recognised Lupin's scent easily; it was of something feral and dangerous, uncontrolled, sweat and something distinctly Lupin that was so masculine it made her toes tingle. It hadn't changed much in twenty years.

Hermione bit into her tongue, as the three boys continued to stare at her, unabashed. She attempted to distract herself form her bad temper by attempting to distinguish Sirius and James's scents. There was a fresh soapy scent she recognised laced with something spicy and sweat, it was much too familiar to her to have been James', which meant the soft, sweet scent, was Harry's father.

_Merlin, look at me, I'm like an animal. I'm smelling them_!

Hermione's anger was fairly bursting now, and all the while the three boys continued to stare, the scent of challenge, heady, in the air. She could almost hear their mind's working '_Look up, come on look at us, why would you need to see Dumbledore? Look at us!'_

Hermione's control broke, and her eyes flew to the three boys.

"Stop Fucking Staring"

An angry growl made its way out from the depths of Hermione's chest and she couldn't help but let her lips twitch in triumph as she watched Sirius and James take a step backwards, their fear flooding her senses.

"Did you just growl!" Hermione's eyes moved to Sirius, and she held his eyes in a steady glare, her lips pressed shut. There was no way in hell was she answering that. _Way to go Hermione, nice way to look inconspicuous_. She was saved anymore awkward questions by the appearance of Dumbledore who, Hermione was surprised to see, hadn't changed in twenty years.

"Mr Potter, Mr Black, I believe lessons started ten minutes ago," Dumbledore said lightly "I would suggest you make your way now, before you lose your house any points". Dumbledore stood at the foot of Lupin's bed, watching whilst the two dark haired boys gathered their things and darted from the room with a quick goodbye to Lupin. "How are you feeling Mr Lupin?

"Been better" Lupin replied with a shrug of his shoulders and a quick glance at Hermione. Dumbledore's eyes followed Lupin's, and he gave a soft "Ahhh" as his gaze settled on Hermione.

"Miss Granger, I presume?" Hermione's eyebrows rose "Yes, you were brought in with young Mr Lupin here. I was told you were found in the entrance hall in a Gryffindor uniform, and in the possession of a letter addressed to me." Her eyes flew to Dumbledores right hand where he held a rumpled piece of parchment. Hermione's brow creased in confusion, a frown marring her face, as she looked from Dumbledore, to the letter, and then to a very confused, very _young_, Remus Lupin. Hermione cursed herself for not thinking it sooner.

"Sir, what's the date?" Dumbledore smiled.

"I believe, Miss Granger, it is September the 23rd, 1977."

* * *

Dumbledore had informed Hermione, after ensuring the privacy of their conversation, that the letter found in her possession had been from his future self, explaining the reasons for Hermione's appearance; none of which he told Hermione, except that his future self thought she might better adapt to life as a Lycanthrope if she were guided by an eighteen year old Remus Lupin, rather than a thirty-eight year old Remus Lupin.

"I would advise you to befriend Mr Lupin and his friends for the duration of your stay, Miss Granger" he had said, eyes twinkling merrily "And do not be averse to using your knowledge of the future to do so." Dumbledore had then grown very still as he appraised Hermione.

"Miss Granger, I must warn you of the dangers of both your secrets in the wrong hands. However, mistakes that are yet to happen, innocent lives that are to be lost; that could all change. I would urge you to change and save what and who you can. I only ask that you are careful who you entrust your secret to." Dumbledore had left then, allowing Hermione some time to think in private, before Madame Pomfrey came to remove the divides.

Hermione had no chance that day to attempt to befriend Remus Lupin due mostly to the fact that they both spent most of the day sleeping; attempting to regain their strength for that night's transformation, and even when they were both awake they were too bad tempered for any attempted conversation to turn out well. She just needed to wait a little longer.

Hermione now made her way swiftly down to Hagrids' hut; she had been told Dumbledore had placed strong silencing and diversion charms on the hut for the night until a better arrangement could be found. Hermione knew this meant she would use Hagrids Hut until she told Lupin and was able to join him in the Shrieking Shack.

With a shuddering breath Hermione stepped out into the warm night air with McGonagall at her side, and briefly spotted Lupin and Professor Kettleburn standing at the foot of the Whomping Willow. With a glance up at the nearly full moon, Hermione shuddered, the tell-tale tingling of her transformation dancing across her skin. Her heart was pounding.

_No Wolfsbane tonight_.

Hermione picked up her speed and strode towards Hagrids' cabin, the tingling on her skin growing more intense with every second. She could hear McGonagalls laboured breaths as the professor struggled to keep up with Hermione, who stumbled into the small hut with a pain filled whimper and heard the distinct sound of McGonagall closing the door behind her. The transformation had started much sooner than she had thought it would. Hermione's heart pounded as she felt herself begin to lose control. She could smell the half-giants' scent all over the room and she craved the taste of blood in her mouth. Hermione sobbed, blind with fear as pain ripped through her body, and she dropped to her knees with an anguished cry. God, what had she done to deserve this?

The sound of a distant howl reached Hermione's ears, and unable to control herself she heard herself answer, pain-filled and desperate.

_Oh God, this is going to be a long night._

* * *

When Hermione awoke the next morning, it was to find a skirt, shirt and cloak folded on the table in the centre of the room. Hermione winced as she uncurled her body, feeling the tight pull of lacerated skin. Hermione vaguely remembered reading that when Werewolves have no human outlet for their aggression they turn in on themselves, but the thought was banished as she stood and staggered over to the table, desperate for some warmth in the cool morning. Hermione dressed quickly, the bottom buttons of her shirt unbuttoned leaving three deep gashes open to the sting of the morning air as she stumbled out onto the grounds barefooted.

The faint tang of blood reached Hermione, and her head snapped up to find Remus Lupin being supported by Peter Pettigrew and Sirius black as they made their way back to the castle. None of them seemed to have noticed her, and she could see James's skinny figure standing in the entrance hall, a piece of parchment in his hand, beckoning to his three other friends. Hermione watched enviously as the three boys gently led Lupin up the stairs, concern shining through in every one of their movements. How was she supposed to become their friend? There was no way they would accept her. They already had one Lycanthrope to worry about.

Swallowing down a sob Hermione pushed off from the wall of Hagrids Hut and stumbled towards the castle, her legs shaking violently as she fought to support herself.

_Why wasn't there anyone to collect me_?

Hermione staggered up the front steps and into the entrance hall, her entire body beginning to shake with the strain of supporting herself. She fell to her knees with a pain filled whimper as they came into contact with the marble floor and she doubled over onto her hands. The sound of footsteps had stopped and then started again, only, to her horror, they were moving towards her. Hermione tried desperately to move, to stand or crawl but exhaustion had swept over her body and she allowed herself to slide onto her side with a sob. The sound of footsteps continued to grow nearer until finally they stopped half a foot from her head. Hermione shifted her head and raised her eyes to look at a pair of shiny loafers on the floor beside her hand. There was a soft sweet smell in the air now. There was a quick ruffle of parchment before a voice softly said "Hermione?"

It was James.

Hermione simply whimpered in response.

Suddenly Hermione was rolled onto her back and swept up into a pair of strong arms. She curled into the warm body, expelling a shuddering breath and closed her eyes.

She felt safe here.

* * *

When Hermione woke again a few hours later, it was with a strange sense of DeJaVu. She pushed herself up into a sitting position with a hiss of pain as her skin rubbed against the sheets of her bed, and blinked blearily at the three faces at the end of her bed. No … four faces at the end of her bed. Lupin had joined them, standing between James and Sirius, his white oxford unbuttoned at the top. There before her stood the Four Marauders. Hogwarts legendary Mischief makes. _Wait till I tell Fred and George_.

Hermione felt giddy; there in front of her were the Four Marauders. James and Sirius alive, Peter Uncorrupted, and Lupin was not yet alone. Looking at them all together was like watching the last piece of a puzzle fall into place, knowing that all the pieces fit perfectly together and the end result was magnificent. There was something natural about seeing them standing there together, side by side, so comfortable in each others presence.

Hermione found her eyes straying back to one puzzle piece in particular, Remus Lupin. He stood at the end of her bed watching her awkwardly and she found herself suddenly drawn to him. Hermione didn't know what it was that was attracting her to Lupin; Sirius was most definitely better looking; a charming smile and strong sense of confidence which Hermione always found attractive. James held himself with much the same confidence, something Lupin seemed to be lacking in, his shoulders broad and defined seen easily under his shirt, and Peters face held a youthfulness and innocence that Hermione found endearing.

Lupin, whilst good looking in a less obvious way than Sirius, looked older than his friends, the faint scarring across the skin that was visible making him look rougher, and if it weren't for the fact his skin seemed to stretch over his broad frame, as if his bones had grown too fast for his skin, betraying the strength she knew was in him, she might have been intimidated by him.

But, as it was, Hermione knew that behind his hard looking exterior he was a soft spoken man, and one of the kindest souls she knew. _Will ever know_. Hermione's eyes moved back to Sirius, who was watching her from behind a fall of hair, and she felt her face begin to warm. _He really was …is quite lovely when he was … is young-er. Stupid tenses_. There was an awkward shuffle to her right and Hermione turned to find James Potter shifting uncomfortably. Hermione smiled.

"Hello again," the tension in the air seemed to dissipate almost immediately. All four boys smiled and took a step closer to her bed "We really should stop meeting like this." Hermione couldn't help the smile that spread across her face as the four boys laughed.

Hermione watched the muscles in Lupins arm flex as she put his Robes and tie on the foot of her bed and smile faintly as he turned concerned gold eyes on her own "How are you feeling?" his voice was hoarse, much the same as in twenty years time, a youthful whine on the rise of his question that wasn't there in the future. Hermione had to smile at how little he would change.

She flexed the muscles in her body experimentally and smiled in relief "Fine. I feel absolutely fine. Though, I could use some food" she said with a laugh as her stomach rumbled loudly. Again the four boys laughed, and Hermione thought it was one of the best sounds in the world.

"Do you know what it was that attacked you last night?" All trace of laugher was gone from Sirius' face to be replaced by anxiety and Lupin visibly stiffened. Realisation dawned on Hermione, _They think Lupin attacked me_.

Hermione's mind flew in a million different directions as she tried desperately to school her face into a blank expression. Should she tell them? What excuse could she offer? Would they believe her?

_"I would advise you to befriend Mr Lupin and his friends for the duration of your stay, Miss Granger, and do not be averse to using your knowledge of the future to do so."_

_They accepted Lupin, they couldn't care less he's a werewolf, in fact they loved him more because of what he is. Why wouldn't they accept me? There's no use lying to them, it would do no good to lie to them, they recognised the marks on me, they'd just get angry if I lied to them. I just need to tell them the truth. _

_Oh god! Harry thinks Voldemort's scary? He should try facing his eighteen year old Dad and his friends. _

_Ok, deep breaths, you're a big girl, you can do this._

Hermione looked at the four boys who were watching impatiently. She took a deep breath and nodded slowly. "You do?" Peter's voice was breathless, filled with anticipation.

"Yes,"

"What was it?" Lupins voice was strangled, and Hermione swore she could hear the soft beat of his heart as it thrummed against his ribcage. Hermione raised her head and stared directly into his eyes.

"Myself."

* * *

A/N: Uh-oh, do you think they figured it out? You'll just have to wait for the next chapter to find out!

Thank you to all those who reviewed my first chapter, I was pleasantly surprised to see that a lot of people had found my story interesting.

Erm, nice, interesting, fun chapter next where Lily comes into the equation and The Marauders meet Hermione, The Book Worm.

Erm, please review? It motivates me to write faster. I'm lazy, I need motivation.

Lub you all!

Kaymanay.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author**: Kaymanay

**Title**: Natural Instinct

**Ship**: Hermione/Remus

**Era**: Multiple

**Summary: **Albus Dumbledore places a Lycanthropic Hermione Granger in the care of Remus Lupin. The only problem is: She's travelled back to 1977.

A/N: Ha, wow! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! It made me oh so happy! Thank you all very much!

Erm just for the sake of future chapters in which ensues (in my sick twisted humour) hilarity, there is very slight reference to RL/SB. Erm … it's all in good fun? Sorry if you're not too keen on the pairing – neither am I, but they're needed in the story at some point. My friend advised I put this warning in now. So consider yourselves warned.

Ok, so I'll get on with the chapter and author ramblings are at the end. Without further ado …

* * *

**Chapter 3.**

The four boys stared down at Hermione in shock, and she honestly thought she would have found it funny if not for the desperate pounding of her heart against her ribs, or the rush of blood in her ears which seemed to drown out all other sound. The air was heavy and intense and it made Hermione squirm. She pulled the cover up higher, over her chest, suddenly aware that the only thing that was shielding her from them was the flimsy material of her night dress. It was Sirius who roused first, turning to look at James who continued to stare down at Hermione, concern creasing his face. Lupin looked uneasy his eyes desperately searching out everything else but her, but the relief was hard to miss. Peters face was the only one that held understanding, his eyes strangely intense and unnerving.

"Right," Lupins voice was still hoarse, and Hermione realised that thirteen years of the transformation had taken its toll on him; inside and out. "Right, well Dumbledore sent up some clothes for you," he said motioning to the pile of clothes at the foot of the bed "and we offered to show you up to Gryffindor tower." Hermione nodded in understanding.

"Thank you." She grimaced as her voice broke, her throat burning. It was going to take a while to get used to the Werewolf thing.

The four boys all moved at the same time, moving towards the door, as Sirius called out over his shoulder.

"We'll wait for you outside" Hermione waited until they were outside, with the door firmly closed, before she threw her legs over the edge of the bed and jumped down onto the cold tiled floor. Hermione wasted no time in pulling the white sterile nightdress over her head and dropped in onto the bed. The outfit was comprised of a pair of muggle jeans and red long-sleeve top; she chuckled as she spied the name _Lily Evans_ stitched onto the label of the jeans.

Hermione pushed her feet into a pair of Mary-Janes and made a move towards the door, only to stop at the sight of Peter standing staring at her, the door closed at his back. _How long has he been there_? Had he been spying on her? Watching her get dressed? Rage and embarrassment swelled and swirled in the pit of Hermione's stomach.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Hermione was shocked at the sound of her own voice; it had been dangerous, growling out every word. It had sounded uncontrolled, strained, and Hermione realised that's exactly how she felt; uncontrolled, wild.

Another wave of fury rolled over Hermione and she fought desperately not to attack Peter. She could feel it then, the beast, the wolf, she could feel it inside her, surrounding her, clawing and pushing and grabbing, trying desperately to get out, frantically trying to get in, fighting brutally for control, wanting nothing more than to see Peter bleed, wanting so much to taste his blood on her lips, red and smooth and oh so delicious. She was aching with need for it.

Hermione gave a strangled sob as she jumped back, her had flying to her mouth as the vicious thoughts swirled in her mind, tempting her desire and control.

Peter stood at the door watching her, face soft with pity, his body rigid with understanding, and Hermione knew without a doubt in her mind that he knew.

He gave her one small nod and slipped out of the room leaving Hermione to herself.

* * *

Hermione shuffled over to the second, and last, bed of the Dormitory and sat down on it, the silk of the sheets soft and cool beneath her fingers, sending cool shocks through her palms and up into her feverish body. It had taken her a while to regain control of herself, and in the end she had done it, but the wolf still fought for dominance; it strained every fibre of her being. Hermione vaguely wondered how Lupin managed to stay so friendly and mild-tempered with all the inner-turmoil of the wolf. She closed her eyes and took a deep shuddering breath, taking in Lily's scent which seemed to pervade the room, and at the sound of footsteps grew stronger. She smelt, funnily enough, of Lilies. 

"I don't suppose you purposely try to smell like you namesake?" Hermione asked as she opened her eyes to find Lily standing in front of her, holding out a pair of flat boots and a small vial filled with pale green liquid. It would, apparently, ease the nausea which seemed to follow Hermione relentlessly. A consequence of her heightened senses, Lily had told her it would ease in a few days.

"No not purposely," Lily laughed, "My mother buys me a bottle of the same perfume every Christmas. I like to wear it to remind me of her when I'm away." She smiled turning towards her bed to grab her cloak as Hermione stood, feet firmly booted. "I must say I'm very surprised that we not only wear the same size clothes, but we have the same size feet." Hermione laughed as she watched the red-head fiddle with a small denim bag.

"Lily?"

"Hmm?"

"I ... well … how did you know I'm a ... well … that I suffer from …"

"That you're a Lycanthrope?" Lily asked looking over her shoulder, smiling sympathetically, "I lark around with one every day, I suppose it just got to be a habit that I can distinguish his Wolfish characteristics. That coupled with everything I've been told, well it wasn't that hard to guess." Hermione laughed. "You're new to this though, I could tell, you don't hide it anywhere near as well as Remus does."

"Peter knows." Lily nodded, indicating she already knew. "I'm surprised the others haven't realised, its not like they're idiots?" Lily snorted.

"With Sirius and Potter I wouldn't be so sure. Remus has his suspicions, I can tell that much at least. But Sirius and Potter are … well … they're Potter and Black, they're completely clueless." Hermione laughed loudly. "Stick 'em in front of an exam paper and they'll come out with an O, but I doubt they'd get the message even if Dumbledore danced naked on the Gryffindor table wearing nothing but a tea-cosy and sign that says 'Hermione's a Werewolf!' I'm afraid with them two you're going to have to right out tell them!" Lily exclaimed finally straightening up and turning to face Hermione, smiling.

Lily's smile faltered.

"Speaking of which, how did you know about them lot, being animagi and Remus' furry little problem?" Hermione's eyebrows rose in amusement, _furry little problem_?

"They're not unheard of where I come from, for that matter, neither are you." It was Lily's eyebrows that rose this time.

"And where exactly are you from?" Lily asked amusement evident in her voice. Hermione's face dropped slightly.

"I can't tell you," she said softly, "not now, but I promise you I will" Lily couldn't hide her shock at the serious tone of Hermione's voice. She simply nodded.

"Of course" Lily breathed; "whenever you're ready, I'm just a bed across from you" Hermione smiled appreciatively. "Now we better get a move on before these boys head off to Hogsmeade without us" Hermione followed the red-headed girl over to the door. Hermione's tension eased as she realised Lily wasn't going to push her or question, but instead was giving Hermione space, and time to go to Lily in her own time.

_Lily's a hell of a lot more patient than Harry ever was … is … going to be, damn tenses_!

A thought struck Hermione unexpectedly, and she looked over to her room-mate.

"Lily?"

"Yes?"

"Are you and James going out?"

"Ha! He wishes!"

* * *

Hermione fell into step between Lily and Sirius as the six teenagers stepped out of the school gates and into the small village of Hogsmeade. It was lovely this time of year, autumn was just setting in, the orange and red Hughes beginning to overtake the colours of summer. The air was still warm, though a small, threatening breeze, assured Hermione that she had made the right decision in bringing a light cloak. 

"Have you ever been to Hogsmeade, Hermione?" Sirius asked, moving closer and dipping his head. Hermione scoffed slightly.

"Of course" five heads turned towards her, and Hermione suddenly felt like a dear caught in headlights, _stupid Hermione_, "It's quite renowned for its Butterbeer, my friends used to bring me here" _It's not a lie_. Hermione's stomach turned as she thought of Harry, Ron and Ginny. Were they missing her right now? Were they worried about her? Had Dumbledore told them where he had sent her? She Breathed in deeply and grimaced.

The scent of nature filled Hermione's senses, grass and trees, animals, the sweet smell of air, all of it attacked her, overwhelming her as she breathed deeply, trying to dispel the dizziness that had suddenly taken her over. The shrill chirping of a bird, once soothing, seemed to shred the inside of her head, the rustle of leaves no longer a whisper. As they neared the centre of the village a shrill giggle brought a grimace to Hermione's face and she stopped, placing a hand to her stomach as the pungent aroma of the bakery wafted out onto the street- the smell once so alluring, now seemed to turn her stomach. She swayed slightly on her feet.

"Are you ok?" Sirius asked as he grabbed her elbow in an attempt to steady her. Hermione nodded, fighting down another wave of nausea as a strong breeze brought a cacophony of smells and sounds that made her head spin.

"I'm fine, I'm just feeling a bit funny is all," Hermione looked up and smiled reassuringly at the five people watching her worriedly. Except Lupin, there was something else there, understanding, a knowing look. Hermione's heart thrummed as she realised he had probably figured it out. "I think I just need to sit down, you lot go on, I'm just going to enjoy the fresh air" She removed her arm from Sirius' grip and moved on towards the bench, calling out reassurances over her shoulder.

She sighed in relief as she heard the faint shuffle of feet as they moved away, and as she listened carefully she realised some of them were moving off in different directions. There was a small bench up ahead, barely big enough for two people, surrounded by a grouping of small trees and Hermione sighed happily as the fresh scent of wet grass and leaves rushed any nausea from her body. It wasn't until she had taken a seat and sorted her cloak that she realised someone had followed her.

Lupin was stood about a foot a way, hands shoved into his pockets, watching her through concern filled eyes. Hermione smiled faintly.

"I didn't hear you following me." She said absent-mindedly. Lupin smiled softly.

"I'm very light on my feet," he cocked his head to the side as he seemed to asses her; "I wanted to make sure you were alright. I was wondering if I could sit with you for a while." He asked motioning to the seat beside Hermione. She smiled acquiescently.

"Of course."

In the end that was exactly what they did, they sat together and talked softly of lessons and the weather and how they spent their summers, and in the end Hermione was glad for the company. Lupin never questioned her about her friends or her family, never asked her where she was from, and never let on her knew her secret. It was late when the other four returned in pairs, and the six made their way back to Gryffindor tower, Hermione feeling strangely at peace.

* * *

Hermione and Lily sat, each curled into a corner of the small loveseat they were on, Peter at their feet, all of them picking at Peters large bag of Honeydukes sweets, Sirius and James were spread out before the fire playing a very noisy game of chess, and Lupin was spread out on the loveseat opposite them, eyes moving rapidly back and forth across the book he held in his, Hermione now noticed, rather elegant fingers. Sirius, James and Lupin as it was, were sat far enough away that Lily and Peter could, much to Hermione's great amusement, quietly plan out ways Hermione could tell the other three. 

"You'll have to let them think they figured it out themselves," Peter said matter-of-factly, "Or they'll never trust you, it would seem suspicious that you'd just decided to trust a bunch of strangers- and we better do it quick!" Hermione cocked her head.

"Why's that?" Peter grinned up at her.

"I wanna know where you're from and how it is everyone there knows about us!" Peter exclaimed.

"I must say I'm surprised you trusted me when I told you I knew about you lot" Peter shrugged non-committal.

"I've got something to hold against you if you're untrustworthy! And it's not something you willingly told me, though you didn't seem to be hiding it, I still figured it out for myself." Peter informed her, "Besides Lily seems to like you, and if nothing, I trust her judge of character more than anything." He said, smiling fondly up at Lily, who smiled back and ruffled his blonde hair, much to his annoyance. Hermione felt a painful pull at her heart as she watched the two friends interact, the knowledge that in three years time he would betray them to Voldemort heavy in her stomach.

_Not if I can help it_.

"I'd prefer to get this over and done with as quickly as possible," Hermione said as she looked at her two new friends "There's something I need to tell the five of you, something dangerous." Hermione said seriously looking from Lily to Peter, whose mouth hung open in anticipation.

"The longer I wait the more dangerous things will get, they need to know as soon as possible!"

"Ha! Marauders laugh in the face of danger!" Hermione and Lily giggled as Peter jumped up from his place at their feet and began to wave around an imaginary sword "Danger fears me!" he turned and thrust his imaginary sword at Sirius who jumped up, his own imaginary sword in hand, his cry of "En Guard" somewhat muffled under James' anguished cry as the chess board went flying. Hermione's giggles intensified.

Suddenly James was on his feet, swearing revenge for his defeated Chess board, and so ensued what Hermione could only call a Jig, as the three boys proceeded to sword fight with each other, forcing Hermione and Lily away from their seats, to pile in on either side of Lupin, as the boys fell about dramatically.

A soft snort to Hermione's left brought her attention away from the dancing boys and to the handsome soft spoken man sat so close to her. He seemed not to have noticed her, nor did he seem bothered by their close proximity, his eyes focused solely on the three boys who were now rolling around on the ground in an impromptu wrestling match. Hermione allowed herself a moment's assessment, which to her chagrin, lasted more than a moment.

_He really is beautiful_.

Hermione's eyes traced the faint scars across his face, stretched and pink as he smiled and laughed, and she shivered as butterflies seemed to materialise in her stomach. His skin was hot against her arm, or maybe it was her skin that was warm – she couldn't tell. His neck was long and smooth, save for a large pink scar that looked as if it were still fresh. A scar she recognised from twenty years in the future.

Hermione fingered the side of her neck where a very similar mark was still healing, throbbing under he touch. She could feel the blood rushing through her, her heart beginning to beat faster. She continued to stare at the scar on his neck, a hungry look in her eyes, suddenly wishing she could reach out and touch it, taste it. Heat was spreading throughout her body, radiating off her and Hermione was suddenly away of just how warm her skin was. She was also suddenly aware of just how close she was sitting to Lupin. He must be able to feel it … to smell the heat …

Sure enough his own skin was turning pink, his eyes darting to watch her out the corner of his eye, his nostrils flaring as he breathed in heavily. Hermione shifted uncomfortably and her arm rubbed against his, her skin rubbing against his, sending a rush of heat through her body. Lupin shifted his hips, his body heat pervading hers, and his thigh rubbed against her own. Hermione stilled as she felt the pressure of his leg rest against her own and she bit down on her lip to stop the moan that threatened to escape.

She pushed her thighs together, attempting to ease some of the mounting tension in her stomach, at the same time trying to move her leg away from Lupins.

_I have to get out of here_.

Hermione jumped up frantically, suddenly aware of five pairs of eyes on her, everyone but Lupin was watching curiously, worried, but he sat there an unreadable expression on his face, looking up at her through dark lashes, and in that one look she knew.

_Oh God he does know_! _He has to know. How could he not?_

With a mumbled excuse Hermione dashed up the staircase and into the girls Dorm where she collapsed on her bed and tried desperately to calm the pounding of her heart.

_What_ _the hell was that_?

* * *

It was late. That much Hermione knew. 

She tried very hard to stifle a groan as she stared despondently up at the dark red canopy above her head. The position of her bed against the back wall afforded her the perfect view out of one of the large, Arch windows where the night sky was perfectly clear, thousands of stars glittering in the blackness, the waning moon looked unnaturally big. And yet, Hermione's eyes were blind to the wonders of the night sky as she replayed the events of that evening in her head.

He had looked so handsome, and he smelt wonderful, and the way his skin had turned pink, the butterflies in her stomach.

_Its not like I can be attracted to him, I hardly know him_.

_Actually, you know him quite well; you've known him for nearly five years_, a second voice reminded her.

_No! I've known a much older Lupin, whose been through a lot more than this one!_

_They're still the same person._

_No they're not! Shut up! I don't fancy him!_

The second voice fell quiet and Hermione sighed in frustration.

"I don't fancy him! I can't fancy him! He's my professor!"

_Not here he isn't_.

She rolled on to her side to face Lily and the door. Lily was spread out on her front, mouth hanging open slightly, and snoring softly. Hermione sighed again and sat up, moving to stand on the rug at the side of her bed. She knew sleep would not be visiting her tonight.

The door, surprisingly, made no noise when she opened it and slipped out, her feet patting softly against the stone steps. Hermione quickly shuffled past the Gryffindor boys' dorm entrance and down the stairs into the deserted Common Room, where the fire was still cackling merrily. The room was warm, the faint tang of mingled sweat hanging in the air, the carpet rough and comforting beneath her feet. She moved to stand in front of the fire, revelling in its warmth, in the soft comfort it offered her.

"Am I to deduce you're having trouble sleeping, my dear?" Hermione spun to find a slightly dishevelled Professor McGonagall standing just inside the open portrait of Godric Gryffindor, wrapped up in her matching tartan housecoat and slippers.

"Professor McGonagall," Hermione exclaimed, "I'm sorry, am I not supposed to be out of my dorm?"

"When you go to bed is a choice we leave to you, Ms Granger, as long as you do not seek to leave Gryffindor Tower after curfew." McGonagall told her, stepping through the portrait to move into the warm common room. "I saw you were in the common room and thought I'd see how you're getting along. You've been here for a few days now" Hermione shrugged.

"I'm not entirely sure, Professor," Hermione told her, "Everyone I've met has been a big shock, they're not what I expected, but they've been so friendly. However, I do miss my friends." McGonagall smiled.

"I should think you could find something of them here." Hermione laughed.

"Yes, I have, though it hasn't comforted me. What friends I had that are here now are so much different from how I knew … will know them, and whilst James is so much like Harry, I know it isn't him. It's hard making friends all over again." She said anxiety thick in her voice.

"They are a good bunch, troublemakers to the last, but they are good honourable people, as you no doubt know and they won't leave you to fend for yourself. You'll be an honorary Marauder before the next full moon, I promise you." McGonagall smiled kindly at her, "Speaking of full moons, I don't suppose you've informed your House-mates of your predicament yet, Ms Granger?"

"Lily Evans and Peter Pettigrew know. They figured it out before I had a chance to tell them, and I have my suspicions Mr Lupin knows as well." Professor McGonagall nodded.

"Yes, Potter and Black are idiots, you'll have a lot more trouble getting them to realise." Hermione chuckled, "Now if you'll excuse me Ms Granger, I believe it is time for an old woman to go to bed." With a last smile at Hermione, McGonagall disappeared through the portrait, closing it with a soft click.

She stared at the portrait of the sleeping Godric Gryffindor for several minutes, a cold breeze breaking in through her trance and forcing her back in front of the fire. _Probably a draft from somewhere_.

"Can't sleep either, I take it?" Hermione had to congratulate herself on not showing any outward signs that he had scared her, all the while her heart doing something akin to the Highland fling. She turned towards to staircase leading up to the Dormitories to find Remus Lupin stood at the foot of the stairs, still in his clothes, looking slightly dishevelled; like he'd just been wrestling someone or …

Hermione felt herself flushing. She cleared her throat uncomfortably.

"Er … no I can't, different bed and all." She smiled nervously as he moved towards her. He smelt different, like Sirius; like he had taken Sirius and rubbed him all over his body and …

Hermione flushed again and looked down. _Don't make assumptions_.

When she looked up she was shocked to find him a foot away, watching her intently, an amused smile playing around his lips as if he knew exactly what she was thinking.

_Which he probably does_.

"Sirius and myself couldn't sleep either, we've been keeping each other company." Hermione swallowed hard at the suggestive note in his tone. "I was just coming down for the chess board." He said motioning to the board and scattered pieces on the floor. Hermione simply nodded dumbly at him. "So is there any particular reason you can't sleep?" he asked as he slid onto one of the loveseats and Hermione followed suit. She shrugged.

"I'm not too sure to be honest. Strange bed, I've got a lot to think about, and it's hard having to make new friends at eighteen. I suppose I've just been under a lot of stress lately." she laughed wryly. Lupin simply nodded.

"So you're here for the whole year then?" Hermione nodded. "Well I wouldn't worry about making friends, you're a Gryffindor seventh year, even if we didn't already like you," Hermione beamed up at him, "we'd force you into our little group for that simple fact." Hermione laughed loudly, as she watched him out the corner of her eye. He seemed completely at ease with her.

"So what's been robbing you of your sleep then?" Lupin blushed a deep red in the fire-light. Hermione followed suit as she remembered his suggestion that he and Sirius had been …

"In all honesty?" he asked, "It was you." Hermione felt her eyebrows rising.

"Me?" she asked, her heart thumping against her rib-cage.

"Well, you've been quite a mystery to us all." He said as way of explanation "It's like you dropped out of the sky, we don't know a single thing about you, and yet all five of us feel compelled to trust you. We have a lot of questions." Hermione smiled brightly.

"Well ask away, and I'll answer what I can" _As long as it's not' where are you from_?'

Lupin looked shocked for a moment, as if he hadn't expected this opportunity to be presented to him. He nodded wearily and turned his head to look into the fire. Hermione simply sat and watched him expectantly, watching the shadows dance across his face. He looked lovely in the dim light …

_No_!

She pulled her eyes away from him and looked out towards the fire, blushing furiously. This seemed to be what Lupin was waiting for, because it was then he decided to speak, his voice low and hoarse.

"How long have you been a Werewolf?"

* * *

**A/N**: ok so not such a suspenseful cliff-hanger, but still one all the same. Erm, this one kind of wouldn't flow at the beginning, but I managed to get it done. So woo for me! It's about 5 pages longer than what I normally do. Again, I'm absolutely astounded at the response I got! Thank you everyone who reviewed! And I swear that's not just polite Author ramble! I am honestly so thankful to all of you for taking the time to review! 

As always, the more reviews I get the more I'm motivated to write

Ok just so I know if I'm crazy or not …

Phelps Twins – Hot or Not?

See I think their hot (especially James) but most of my family and friends think I'm crazy, so I'd like your opinions!

I Lub You All!


	4. Chapter 4

**Author**: Kaymanay

**Title**: Natural Instinct

**Ship**: Hermione/Remus

**Era**: Multiple

**Summary: **Albus Dumbledore places a Lycanthropic Hermione Granger in the care of Remus Lupin. The only problem is: She's travelled back to 1977.

A/N: ZOMG! You all ROOL! And HA! I knew I wasn't crazy! Phelps Twins are so hot! Ha, so now that that's over, thank you all for the reviews! Not only did you make me super happy, you also proved my sanity, for which I am grateful! Erm … Hermione the Bookworm makes her way to the forefront of things for a while!

I realize that in my first chapter Snape's still at Hogwarts and Dumbledore is alive and with Hermione being 18 it would mean it's her 7th year at Hogwarts, and I'm mentioning Slughorn in this chapter and thus effectively making this AU! I'm sorry but nearly a year on I'm still in denial! DUMBLEDORE LIVES!

Erm, just to remind you all – this story is rated M and there will be sexual situations in a few of the chapters – starting with this one. Nothing too graphic. Just a forewarning. So without further a due:

**Warning**: Sexual situations (more specific; Frottage), and Voyeurism.

Also – Cuddles ahoy! Coz I'm a fluff bunny!

* * *

**Chapter 4.**

Hermione stared out into the fire. She liked fire, it was warm and beautiful; reds, oranges, yellows and blue, it was captivating, and it was just about the only thing she wasn't afraid of. But most of all, it was ruthless in what it took, and that was something she could relate to. Hermione was ruthless, and it was something she had always known about herself; the ability to be completely merciless and feel no guilt in her actions whatsoever. She was ruthless in taking what she wanted; she was ruthless in her beliefs and defending them, she was ruthless in her studies. She was ruthless in loving and caring for those lucky enough to find a place in her heart, and she was ruthless in her life.

So why Hermione now felt so weak and tired, and wanted nothing more than to give up, was beyond her. She wanted nothing more than to curl into the fire and let its ruthlessness take her and cleanse her of her pain.

'_How long have you been a Werewolf'?_

The pain, anguish and despair of someone who lived the curse. It was the pain of someone who could understand; someone who _knew_. She had thought she was going to be alright, he had told her she would. She had believed him. But now she knew, the pain, the pity, the despair. Now she _knew_.

She closed her eyes and settled her senses, calm. The crackle of fire popped loudly in her sensitive ears, and the heat of the fire washed over her and it was soothing, and comforting. There was another heat – his heat, it was smooth and masculine and she felt her skin tingle and she drew on it. His breathing was soft and even and as she listened she could feel her nerves beginning to unravel, the tension in her body was easing and she breathed as sigh of relief. She breathed in deeply; seeking his scent and the comfort it would off her, but was met only with the scent of Sirius.

Hermione cringed and turned her head slightly to look at him out of the corner of her eye, and she nearly jumped

He was watching her.

His gaze was intense, as if he was trying to look through her, right through her kin, through her skull and into her thoughts. Like he was seeking some answer to the great mysteries of the world.

An answer …

She hadn't answered his question yet.

'_How long have you been a Werewolf?'_

She looked directly into his eyes, swirling pools of liquid gold and so intense it made her shiver.

Why was she suddenly so attracted to him? God, she didn't need this. She took a deep breath.

"My second transformation was the night before James found me in the entrance hall" Lupin visibly grimaced, "No one had been there to take me back up to the castle. S'pose I was lucky James was around to find me." She dropped her eyes to the pink scar on his neck and felt herself shiver again. It was the same as hers. Same place, same length, same width. It had, after all, been caused by the same person. Lupin remained silent, watching her.

"How did you know?" she asked raising her eyes to his again. His expression never changed as he regarded her levelly, and Hermione had a fleeting fear he was going to tell her to get lost. But then he smiled slow and soft and Hermione was once again reminded that he was, in fact, male, distinctly so. She felt her skin heating up again, but if Lupin noticed he didn't let up.

"I suppose it takes one to know one." He smiled humorlessly, his brow contorted in a frown, "Do you know who …?" Hermione nodded and he dropped his eyes to the hand she held awkwardly in her lap, and to the scar that ran along the palm of her hand. His eyes narrowed dangerously and his face seemed to harden, as if some sudden rage had welled inside him.

"It was Fenrir Greyback wasn't it?" His voice, hoarse as it was, had taken on a sharp edge.

"Yes, how did you …?" Hermione watched as Lupin raised his hand and held it so his palm faced her. A long pink scar ran along his palm, almost identical to her own.

"He likes to mark his victims, so he knows who they are, so he can recognize his pack." Lupins face had softened as he spoke to her, though his eyes remained hard. Hermione's face twisted in confusion.

"Pack?" Lupin shrugged and opened his mouth as if to speak, only to snap it shut quickly, his nostrils flaring as he breathed in deeply. Hermione watched him frown as he turned towards the stairs which led up to the dorms. There was someone coming.

Hermione's nose twitched as the scent of Sirius grew stronger, but it wasn't coming from Lupin. It was musky and warm, and she licked her lips as it continued to get stronger. He smelt of sex, or what she imagined sex would smell like. It certainly made her think of sex.

Suddenly Sirius was at the foot of the stairs, "Come on Moony … the beds getting …" Sirius stopped mid-sentence as he caught sight of Hermione and her flushed face _Oh God, the bed is getting what?_

Unbidden, images started to flow into her head, images of Sirius and Lupin and a bed. And Oh God, she shouldn't be thinking about that. Heat suffused her body again, tension coiled in her stomach, and Hermione had to fight very hard not to rub her legs together.

Lupin was looking at her, but she couldn't see his face as she continued to look at Sirius' disheveled appearance. _Don't look, don't look, don't look._

Hermione's eyes moved to his. _Oh God._

His stare was intense, hot, penetrating and it made her squirm. Oh God, she had to get out of here, but Sirius was talking again.

"Sorry, didn't realize you had company, I'll just head on up." Sirius turned as if to leave up the stairs, but suddenly Hermione was on her feet and moving towards him.

"No, no, don't worry, I was just about to head up to bed, it's late." Damnit, why did her voice sound so husky?

Hermione gave him a strained smile and practically run past him, breathing in heavily as she drew level with him, his musky scent heavily mingled with the scent of Lupin. A wave of heat rocked Hermione's body.

_Need a cold shower. Now._

Hermione was up the stairs about to turn into the staircase leading up to the girls' dormitories when an arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back. She knew it was Lupin before she even turned to look at him. _I'd recognize his smell anywhere_. His arm dropped from around his waist, and Hermione had to hold back a disappointed groan at the loss of contact.

"Do the others know?" He asked his eyes strangely intense. He was breathing heavily, and Hermione had to sigh as his body heat washed over her, searing her as he stood pressed up against her. _Oh no, no, no, no, no, this is not good_! He seemed strained, like he was fighting desperately for control, the hand around her upper-arm held on tightly, almost painful. Hermione was finding it hard to speak.

"The others …?" Lupins grip tightened as she spoke, her voice breathless, "Know about what?" he licked his lips and Hermione found her eyes drawn to them. Pink and full and they looked so soft. Small scars flecked over his lips, some extending down his chin. Hermione was overcome with the sudden urge to press her lips to his, see if they were as soft as the looked, see if he tasted as good as he smelt, to feel the smooth rise of the scars on his bottom lip.

"Do the others know that you're a …?" he trailed off as he looked anxiously over his shoulder, down towards the common room. Hermione sucked in a deep breath as he turned back to look at her. She could taste him on the air.

"Err … Peter and Lily." She said quietly. He nodded solemnly.

"I thought as much" he released his grip on her arm and took a step back. Hermione stifled a whimper as his heat moved with him, and she was left feeling unnaturally cold. "Erm … do you plan on telling James and Sirius?" His voice was hopeful, pleading almost.

"I … uh … I dunno …" Hermione stuttered as she looked everywhere but at him. "What would they do? If I told them, I mean."

"Nothing," Lupin said quickly, "they wouldn't do a thing, other than support you." Hermione tried to look skeptical, Peter's words ringing in her ears

'_You'll have to let them think they figured it out themselves'_

"I dunno, I don't even know them," _not exactly a lie_, "The only reason I've trusted you Peter and Lily is because you all figured it out for yourselves." Lupin simply nodded.

"But you do trust us, don't you?" Hermione wasn't given a chance to reply, "Look, Peter and Lily are great, I love them, I really do, I would die for them if need called for it, they are two of the greatest people I have ever met, but the only reason I've retained my sanity, the only reason I've ever kept any semblance of who I am these past five years is because of James and Sirius." Lupin paused to catch his breath, drawing up his shoulders as he breathed in, but Hermione could tell it was for dramatic effect, he was, after all, a teenage boy.

"I just … you're just a pup. Two transformations, you're still getting used to your new senses and reflexes, you're tempers going to be bad, really bad, and there's more …" he trailed off uncomfortably, averting his eyes from hers, "I just think, well no, I know you're going to need friends, people who care. And I can promise you, you'll find that in them." It was endearing how much he loved his friends. Hermione pretended to think, quietly crowing inside, her brow furrowed, chewing on her lip exaggeratedly, before giving a slight nod. Lupin's smile was brilliant, and it was infectious, because Hermione suddenly found herself smiling back at him.

"Ok, good. I promise you won't regret it. I'll talk to you tomorrow about it, ok? I should get to bed, it's late." Hermione nodded again, and might have muttered a "thank you", amid the images of Lupin, Sirius and a bed which once again plagued her, but she wasn't too sure. She turned and placed her foot on the bottom stair intending to make her way up, when suddenly she was falling backwards, and turning at the same time. For a fleeting moment she imagined herself sprawled out on the stone floor in front of Lupin , and then she found herself engulfed by a warm body.

Lupin was hugging her.

Remus Lupin was hugging her. Very tightly.

Suddenly her heart was pounding and her mouth and throat were dry. His hand was in her hair, gripping the back of her head, the front of which was currently buried in the crook of his neck. Her body was held flush against his by his other arm, which was pressed into the small of her back. His body was warm against hers, and she was suddenly drowning in his scent. _God, this has to be heaven, it just has to be … wait, he's talking! Pay attention_!

"… Don't worry; we're going to take care of you. Don't worry, everything's going to be alright" he mumbled into her hair, and Hermione nodded dumbly. She allowed him to hold her for a few moments longer, basking in the warmth and comfort he offered her. And then he was pulling away, and Hermione almost whimpered at the loss of contact. She watched him jog down the stairs and into the common room, and stood listening to the low rumble of voices as him and Sirius spoke, too low for her to make out what they were saying. With another deeply breathed breath she turned and trotted back up the stairs, her bare feet slapping against the stone steps.

She eased herself back into her dorm, pleased to see Lily was still snoring softly, now also drooling slightly. Hermione tip-toed her way to her bed and slid in quietly, doing her best to ease the creak, and lay her head on her pillow with a sigh. By the end of the week all five of them would know. God, she was nervous, scared and excited all at the same time. What would they do? How would they react when they finally found out? Not badly, she knew they wouldn't react badly, they wouldn't hold it against her. But how would they react to _her_? Would they be awkward? Would it be the same awkward clap on the back and mumbled "It'll be ok." Harry and Ron had given her.

God, she hoped not, she couldn't handle another rejection like that.

Lupin hadn't done that. He had held her, promised to help her and look after her, promised her everything would be alright. He had accepted her where her best friends had not. _But that's only because he knows what I'm going through, he's the only one who understands, he's only doing what's expected of him._

_He doesn't have to and you know it. It's more than being polite, he doesn't have to comfort you, he doesn't have to offer you help, he didn't have to hug you the way he did, but he is, and he did._

Hermione pulled in a sharp breath and rolled onto her side, staring sightlessly at Lily. It _had_ been rather nice when he had hugged her. _Soft and warm and he smelt so nice, so …sexy_. Hermione blushed as she thought it, trying hard not to smile, but she couldn't help it, and it had been a very nice hug indeed.

_Though you might be biased, seeing as you fancy him._

Hermione groaned as she rolled back onto her back. How utterly inappropriate. _Why do I have to fancy him? And now why of all times? Why here of all places_? She had enough problems cluttering her mind, without having to think about boys and all this romantic nonsense as well. For starters, she had to figure out why she was here, especially if Dumbledore wasn't going to tell her. She also had her Lycanthropy to deal with. Subconsciously her fingers moved to the scar that ran along the palm of her hand, and she traced its path. A single word flashed through her mind:

_Packs_?

What had Lupin meant by that? Obviously she knew what a pack was. She had learnt about animals in packs in Care of Magical Creatures, but she had never heard of Werewolves in packs. Not even in her third year when she had been reading up on Werewolves for that essay Snape had set.

_I wonder what he meant_.

Well, there was only one thing for it. She would have to go to the library the next chance she got.

* * *

Hermione stared despondently at the multitude of books spread out before her. Not a single mention of packs, except to refer her to books the Library didn't stock. This was not what she had been expecting when she had rushed from dinner to settle herself at the library for the night, under the excuse that she wanted to catch up on what she had missed. With a soft growl she pulled a red large tome towards and flipped it open.

_A werewolf is a person who __shapeshifts__ into a __wolf__, either purposely, by using __magic__, or after being placed under a __curse__. The medieval chronicler __Gervase of Tilbury__ was the first to associate the transformation with the appearance of the __full__moon__. Most modern references agree that a werewolf can be killed if silver infects their blood flow, and Werewolves are sometimes held to become __vampires__ after death. Historical articles describe a wide variety of methods for becoming a werewolf, only two of which have proven to be true; self-infliction through Dark Magic and to be bitten by a being already inflicted by the curse whilst in the Lycanthropic state … _

Hermione groaned as she flipped the page. She already knew all this; she needed to know about packs. PACKS! She quickly scanned through the references and recommended reading on the following page, with a disheartened sigh. There was nothing, nothing at all …

Hold on …

_For information on Relationships within Werewolf Packs refer to 'Wicked with Werewolves' by Sandra E._

Bingo!

Hermione jumped up from her seat and quickly made her way over to her required section. She had seen that book! It was the only book she hadn't picked up, seeing as she had no desire whatsoever to know about the mating habits of Werewolves. However, it would appear it was the only book in Hogwarts' Library with any information on Werewolf packs, despite the fact that it was, in all honesty, a rather naughty book. This was bound to be interesting. _Wicked with Werewolves_ had a very well known reputation, so much so in fact, that in her own time it had been moved on to the restricted section.

Hermione skidded to a halt in front of the book, and smiled down at it as if it were the answer to all of life's problems. _Which, at the moment, is partially true_? She bent down and moved to grab the book with a deep breathed sigh of relief.

In hindsight, she really wished she hadn't taken that deep breath.

There was something off. Something didn't _smell_ right. Something smelt different. In fact, she knew exactly what the smell was; she had spent the previous night wandering over it. It was the smell of Sirius, laced with something musky, laced with the scent of sex. Hermione's mind came to a screeching halt.

_Oh God! In the **Library**_?

There were sounds now; soft moans and mewing, most of which were distinctly female. Hermione's mind roared back to life. He was with a girl, not Lupin? Things were just getting stranger. She grabbed the book of its shelf and moved further down the aisle, closer and closer to the soft moans of Sirius and his … friend. She stopped at a gap in the shelves, and suddenly found herself afforded a perfect view of Sirius and the blonde attached to his lips.

He had the girl balanced on a stone ledge that protruded from the wall, and he had himself positioned firmly between her legs. It was dark, and the lamp above them seemed to have been broken at some point or another. It was at times like this that Hermione thanked the Gods for heightened senses, which allowed her to see so much better in the dark. And to her eyes, tt appeared Sirius was attempting to smother the girls' body with his own. The scent of sex was heady in the air. Heat rushed through Hermione as she realized that both Sirius and the anonymous blonde girl were aroused.

The scent grew stronger as he continued to rub up against her, and she rubbed back. The hem of her indecently short skirt was pushed up around her hips, and Sirius' long fingers massaged the tops of her well sculpted thighs, their swollen lips still locked in a fierce battle. Heat once again washed over Hermione, as she watched the scene unfolding before her, unable to look away.

Their rubbing grew more frantic, their moans and whimpers grew louder, and Hermione's body grew hotter. Hermione watched in fascination as Sirius' hand moved from the girl's thigh and up to her breast where he began to massage it through her thin white oxford. Suddenly the girl wretched her mouth away from his, and threw her head back with a loud moan as she arched her hips up into Sirius'.

There was a new smell assaulting her senses now, all too sweet and sickly and Hermione grimaced as her stomach rolled. The smell most definitely did not appeal to her. It was too feminine and too fake. It wasn't spicy like Sirius, or sweet like James, nor was it sexy like Lupins. Suddenly it was being drowned out by Sirius again as he stiffened against the girl and grunted into her neck as he continued to rub against he frantically. Both slumped into each other breathing hard and kissing any area of skin their lips could reach.

_Oh God, I can't believe I just watched that. I'm such a pervert_.

Hermione jumped as the couple began to stir, Sirius stepping back and casting a quick cleaning charm on them, which did nothing to hide the scent of sex which hung in the air. Hermione gripped the book in her hand hard and sprinted back to her desk with an unbelievable speed. Thank God for wolf-like reflexes. She slid into her seat and set the book down with a thump. She needed to get her heart and breathing under control before the couple emerged, she couldn't let them know she had seen them.

She pulled her parchment, quill and inkwell towards her and flipped open her book. Big mistake. She flushed as she looked down at a page which looked like it had come straight out of the _Karma Sutra_. Hermione blushed a brilliant shade of red. _No, no, Hermione, focus. Go to the contents page, move_. And she did, she flipped to the front of her book and searched for the corresponding chapter.

_Chapter_ _38: Relationships within Packs: A comprehensive Study of Werewolf Packs and their Hierarchy. Page 340._

Ok, good. She could do this. Her heart had slowed as had her breathing, but her face was still tinged a rather brilliant shade of red. Page three hundred and forty, Hermione was pleased to see, had no dirty pictures, but simply moving photographs of normal Wolf Packs, and a rather large group of people, under which was the title: _Werewolf Pack under Alpha Male Conall Phelan_. There wasn't much information on Werewolf Packs, but it was more than enough for Hermione. She began scribbling down her notes, all thoughts of Sirius and a blonde headed nymph gone from her mind.

_Most Werewolves travel and hunt in a group__ and perform almost all other activities in the company of fellow Werewolves. The pack, the basic unit of Werewolf social life, is usually a family group. It is made up of People related to each other by blood (Children) or by Sire (Werewolf who turned them). __The alpha male or female__ is the oldest member of the pack and the one with the most experience in hunting, defending territory, and other important activities. Or otherwise may be Sire to all Werewolves in the pack, and/or the strongest._

_Most Werewolves will feel compelled to obey their Alpha Wolf in all situations, though not all will act upon it. To resist this innate obedience in the presence of the Alpha Wolf is to challenge his position as head of the Pack, and so ensues what is commonly known as a Dominance Battle_.

Hermione skimmed quickly over the description of various forms of Dominance Battles, taking notes where she thought applicable. She continued to read, pausing every now and again to take notes as the time wore on. Some ten pages into the chapter she found a paragraph which caused her heart to skip.

_Some Werewolves feel compelled to mark those they Sire, so identification of their Pack in Human form is possible. One such known Werewolf is Fenrir Greyback who will mark his pack with a single scar along their right palm. (For more information on Fenrir Greyback, refer to chapter 7.)_

Hermione stared transfixed at the paragraph in front of her. She had never felt so affected by a book as she did in that moment. For more information …

Hermione's nose twitched.

The scent of Sirius was filling the air. She looked up from her book to see Sirius emerging from an aisle not too far from her table, a blonde Slytherin girl marching past him and out the Library without so much as a backward look. Hermione thought Sirius hadn't seen her as she watched him watch the girl leave with a smirk on his face, until he turned and looked directly at her with a rather charming smile. Butterflies surged to life in her stomach.

_He is entirely too good looking for his own good._

He moved towards her gracefully, the smile never leaving his face as he slid into the chair opposite her. He seemed genuinely happy to see her.

"Hermione, how are you?" he sounded far too happy. _Bastard_.

"Not as good as you are, it would appear?" Hermione replied, beginning to pack up her things. "I never saw you at dinner."

"No," Sirius said picking up the book nearest to him, "I wasn't very hungry, I had someone to me …" Sirius trailed of as he stared at the cover of the book in his hand. "_A History of Werewolves_? What would you need with this?" Sirius asked. He looked up at her and frowned, the suspicion evident in the crease of his brow. Hermione's heart thumped in her chest as she tried to look as innocent as possible.

"Just some light reading." She told him lamely. Sirius' brow creased even more as she stood. "I'm going to head back up to the tower, you coming?" Sirius simply shook his head. Hermione nodded at him hesitating before she picked up _Wicked with Werewolves_. "Ok, well I'll see you later then." She said quietly. Sirius never replied.

Hermione quickly checked out the book and made her way out of the library with a heavy feeling of foreboding.

She had a very funny feeling things were about to turn sour with Sirius.

Sirius watched Hermione leave with a heavy feeling in his stomach. There was no possible way she knew. He turned back to the books she had left on the table and quickly flicked through all the titles.

_They're all about Werewolves. She must know; she has to know about Moony; there's no other reason she'd be reading up on them._

Sirius stared down at the books on the table in great distaste, as if they were to blame for Hermione's discovery. There was only one thing for it, in Sirius' opinion.

_I'll have to keep an eye on her. There is no way in hell I'm ever going to let her hurt Remus._

* * *

Hermione squirmed uncomfortably as she followed Lily into the History of Magic class room, and found the only available seat, to her consternation, was beside Lupin. How was she meant to concentrate in class sitting next to him? She quickly shuffled over and avoided Sirius' eyes as he glared at her from his seat on the other side of Lupin. She gave Lupin a strained smile and set about pulling out parchment and quills.

"I wouldn't bother," a voice murmured softly in her ear, "Old Binns never notices whose taking notes or not." Hermione's eyebrows drew together in disapproval.

"Well that shouldn't stop you from _wanting_ to learn," Hermione snapped, and Lupin and Sirius leaned away from her in surprise, "and don't think you can copy my notes at the end of the class, either." She added, though mostly out of habit. She smiled as she noticed the shocked looks there were giving her, she didn't, however, notice the look Sirius gave Lupin which clearly stated he thought she was insane.

The class, it turned out, was one she had covered several weeks ago in her own time, and so she found herself spending her time being entertained watching the Marauders charming Lily's quill to spell out dirty words whenever she attempted to write anything. She had been surprised to find Binns was actually alive, and a lot more attentive to the class than what she was used to. The Marauders seemed to take delight in teasing him, to which he frowned and reprimanded them, and so only spurred them on in their misbehaving. But even Hermione could see he found them entertaining.

"So, where's this Uric then?" Sirius had asked as he reclined in his chair.

"For what reason are you inquiring, Mr. Black?" Binns had asked his face a mask of apprehension.

"'Cause I wanna see these Odd Balls of his!" Sirius had exclaimed cackling in glee as the boys of the class erupted into laughter and the girls were left, much like Professor Binns, with their lips twitching in amusement as they fought hard not to laugh.

"That's quite enough, Mr. Black. Now, Uric the Oddball …" Binns hadn't gotten much farther after that.

Half an hour later the six Gryffindor's had left the classroom in peels of laughter as the chalk Sirius had charmed continued to write 'Uric has Oddballs' all over the blackboard, much to Binns' confusion. Hermione's body felt relaxed and fluid as the last of her giggles died off and she made her way into Potions, where an unchanged Horace Slughorn stood at the front of the class. He had watched her enter the classroom, apparently sizing her up for talent.

She frowned slightly as she found herself once again seated next to Lupin, and she felt a rush of guilt at the hurt look that flashed across his face when she frowned. She didn't have any idea why, but she couldn't help the awkward feeling that welled up whenever she found herself faced with him.

_Liar_, she thought as she sat down next to him with a tentative smile, _you know exactly why!_

_It's because you fancy the pants off him!_

Hermione barely stifled the groan that welled up in her throat as her subconscious once again reminded her of her completely inappropriate crush. The thought that it wasn't happening flashed briefly through her mind and her subconscious laughed at her feeble attempt at denial. This was getting ridiculous; she had to do something about it soon. It was beginning to affect her schooling.

"Miss Granger?" Hermione's head whipped towards the large man at the front of the class.

"Yes Sir?" She asked as inconspicuously as possible. She had_ not_ dazed off in class.

"I wonder if you would be averse to a quick verbal quiz so I am to be aware of what level you will be working at?" his mustache twitched slightly.

"No at all, Sir." Slughorn smiled, a row of yellowing teeth being displayed.

"Name one potion in which powdered root of Asphodel is used?"

"The Draught of the Living Death; an extremely powerful sleeping potion, the plant itself is traditionally associated with the afterlife and the underworld." Slughorn nodded.

"Give me three Characteristics of the potion Felix Felicis."

"Molten Gold in color, the potion takes six months to brew and results can be disastrous if brewed wrong. The potion imbues the drinker with a sense of increased luck allowing planned endeavors to run smoothly. However, if taken in excess the potion causes giddiness, recklessness, and dangerous overconfidence, and it is highly toxic in large quantities."

"Excellent," he said cheerily, "What do you know of the Polyjuice Potion?"

"Ingredients Include: Lacewing Flies stewed for twenty one days, Leeches, Powdered Bicorn Horn, Knotgrass, Fluxweed picked at the full moon, shredded Boomslang Skin, and a bit of who one wants to turn into, traditionally a lock of hair. The potion takes a cycle of twenty one day to brew and allows the drinker to transform into whomever they choose, as long as they are able to procure a piece of that person. It isn't supposed to be used for transforming humans into animals; if misused for that purpose, it results in an incomplete transformation requiring skilled medical treatment to undo. Polyjuice Potion can be used for cross-gender transformations." An awed murmur ran through the class as she finished talking.

"Wonderful," he replied, "Can you name the properties of the Aconite plant?" Hermione's brain seemed to be working on remote.

"Aconite, otherwise known as Monkshood, Wolfsbane and Dumbledore's Delight, is a poisonous plant which can be found in moist wooded areas, and is only known to have a use in the Wolfsbane potion which, while this potion doesn't cure lycanthropy, it does prevent the extremely dangerous dementia which would otherwise accompany the transformation from human into werewolf." Hermione knew she had made a mistake even before the words had left her mouth, but her mind appeared to have a mind of its own and in its need to please had spewed forth the most common characteristics of Wolfsbane in her own time.

There was a sharp intake of breath to her right and Hermione had to physically fight her own body not to look at Lupin. Slughorn's mouth seemed to have gone slack, and Hermione shifted in her seat slightly under the intense gaze of the class. Slughorn seemed to snap out of his trance quickly and gave her an appraising look.

"I wasn't aware there was such a thing as the Wolfsbane Potion, Miss Granger." The plump man said sharply. Hermione nodded quickly and shifted uncomfortably.

"I believe its still in development, but there appears to have been quite a bit of success." Hermione felt as if she had stepped outside of her body and was looking down on herself in a mixture of horror and amusement as her mouth refused to close. "It's being developed by Damocles Belby, an old favourite of yours I'm told …"

The class fell into a strained silence as Hermione stared resolutely at the front of the class. She really shouldn't have done that. _Really, really shouldn't have done that. I should have kept my mouth shut, but no, me and my big mouth and my need to be the best, Damnit Hermione!_

Hermione spent the rest of the lesson ignoring the other five Gryffindor's who appeared to be inconspicuously trying to get her attention, all of them except for Lupin who spent the lesson staring ahead in stony silence. The tension was rolling off him, and Hermione knew that for some reason, he was angry at her. And all Hermione could think about was the piece of parchment in her robes that Snape had given her the night of her first transformation; a piece of parchment that could offer Lupin some degree of peace and solace on the nights of the full moon.

The end of the lesson had seen Hermione rushing from the room and dashing through the castle in a desperate attempt to get to Dumbledore's office. She needed to tell him about the potion, needed to get to her old robes, where the ingredient list and directions were. Hermione never made it far before a strong hand grabbed the back of her robes and threw her into the wall with a sickening crack. The hand moved to close around her throat and Hermione suddenly found herself face to face with a livid looking Sirius black, her feet dangling sever inches above the ground.

Her hands flew to her neck as she clawed helplessly at the hand which appeared to be attempting to crush her windpipe, and she felt herself growing dizzy at the lack of oxygen making its way into her body. Sirius' face was contorted with rage as he stared her down, and Hermione suddenly found herself petrified with fear. She suddenly understood why it was everyone had believed him capable of murder.

"Just how the fuck did you know about Remus?" His voice was a low growl and Hermione felt herself beginning to tremble. She had faced Voldemort and Death-Eaters, why was she so scared of Sirius Black? "Bet you think you were right smart, figuring it out and all, planning to let everyone know, weren't you?" he spat at her "Well you're not, I'd kill you sooner than let you hurt any of them." Hermione made a feeble attempt to struggle and desperately tried to drag some air into her lungs as her eyes swam with tears and light-headedness. God, he was going to kill her.

"Sirius NO!" The sound was far off, and muffled, but she would have recognized that voice anywhere. Hermione had never been so happy to hear Lupin's voice in her entire life. She twisted her head to the side slightly and she recognized four familiar blurry faces. God, she really needed to breathe. "Sirius let her go." She could tell he was angry by the sound of his voice, a low dangerous rumble.

Suddenly Hermione found she had collapsed on the floor, hacking and coughing, her vision swimming in and out of focus as air rushed into her depraved lungs. Her neck was burning and aching and she vaguely noted there would be bruises there tomorrow. Her right shoulder seemed to throb, and the pain was making her feel sick to her stomach. Four concerned faces swam into view as everyone but Sirius crowded in on her to make sure she was ok.

"What the hell do you think you were doing?" James was on his feet and advancing towards Sirius who stared him down with an angry glare.

"I was trying to protect out friend! She knows about Moony! She was planning on telling everyone." James' face only seemed to register shock.

"She ..?" Sirius nodded.

"She knows and she was going to tell everyone." The oldest Black child pointed an accusatory finger at the shaking girl being coddled by Lily and Peter.

"Wasn't." She protested as best she could around her damaged windpipes. This was apparently not what he wanted to hear as Sirius' face contorted with rage and he advanced on Hermione again.

"Fucking liar!" he spat. A strong arm moved out to hold Sirius in place, effectively blocking his path, and Sirius seemed shocked to find himself face to face with a very angry looking Remus Lupin. "She was reading books in the Library! About Lycanthropy!" Sirius all but shouted. Lupin simply shook his head.

"I was researching Werewolf packs!" Hermione informed him, her voice hoarse. Sirius made a disbelieving noise.

"Oh yea and why's that?" he asked, his bitter mocking laugh sounded harsh to her sensitive ears and she couldn't stop the grimace that flashed over her face.

"I mentioned them to her," Lupin told Sirius softly, "You interrupted before I got the chance to tell about them." Sirius looked up at him strangely.

"And why would you be talking to her about Werewolf packs?"

"Because she's in my pack" Lupin told him, an heir of possessiveness to his tone. A loud coughing noise behind Sirius showed James had apparently started chocking on his own spit. And for a moment Hermione briefly wondered if Harry was about to die in a blazing glory of spittle as James spluttered and coughed, fighting to get air into his lungs. Sirius just continued to look between Lupin and Hermione in confusion before offering forth a very eloquent:

"Eh?" Lupin sighed, and shook his head, looking intently into the eyes of his surrogate brother.

"Sirius, Hermione's a Werewolf.

* * *

A/N: Mwahahahaha! Cliffhanger! And WOW! That is one Loooooong chapter. Ok just quickly:

'_Wicked with Werewolves' _is my homage to one of the best Remus/Hermione fics I have ever read; Lupins Symposium by Sandra E! I love it! It is simply fabulous! I had to somehow promote it because it really is just _that_ good! Go Google it if you haven't read it yet!

Erm, Siriusdawg is crazy! And OMG – Wolfsbane! Will Hermione find the potion directions intact or will it have been annihilated by Dobby's Softening Detergent (Don't care if its 1977, Dobby ROOLZ!)?

Erm, please review? I love reviews and they definitely motivate me to write more! And OMG my friend so sucks! She was all "Ohh, I'm going to draw something based on your Fic" but now she's not going to! How much does she suck?

Ok, so I now have an English essay to do! Woo! Or not?

Lub, Lub

Kayleigh


	5. Chapter 5

**Author**: Kaymanay

**Title**: Natural Instinct

**Ship**: Hermione/Remus

**Era**: Multiple

**Summary: **Albus Dumbledore places a Lycanthropic Hermione Granger in the care of Remus Lupin. The only problem is: She's traveled back to 1977.

A/N: Again I giggle and squee like the fangirl I am at the fact that people like me story! SQUEE! Erm … onward ho …

Ok, just to make sure you understand: I'm being awkward whenit comes to the AUness of my story. So to clarify: Half-Blood Prince is taken into consideration but because I'm bloody awkward and like things to go my way: they somehow manage to bring Dumbledore back to life before the beginning of seventh year (Ha! I wish! (And also for the sake of the first chapter)) and Snape came back to Order because he's actually good (again, I can only hope!)! Ok, now that my awkwardness if over – onwards!

Oh, and **Kill-All-Flamers**! You rule for the House-elf tip! So Woo! Dobby Cameo-appearance!

**IMPORTANT NOTE AT BOTTOM!**

****

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Time stood still.

Or so Hermione thought as her eyes moved from one stationary figure to the next in nervous apprehension. James' face had gone slack, a deathly pale pallor painting his face white under the purple tint of his cheeks. Lily and Peter, who knelt on either side of her holding her by the arms, had stopped breathing completely, and Lupin stood before her with his back turned, his eyes never leaving Sirius, who for the most part looked like he didn't believe a word Lupin was saying.

_Idiot._

A tightening in her chest alerted Hermione to the fact that she too was holding her breath and she expelled it in a great gush of wind. The sound seemed to break the trance and everyone but Lupin moved to look at her. Under the gaze of four people she was suddenly aware of her position on the floor, and Hermione scrambled to her feet, her knees screaming in protest as she did so. From her new position she could see the glare Lupin was sending at Sirius, and apparently also attempting to kill him with.

She knew Lupin was angry, that much was obvious by simply looking at him, but it was the anger she could _feel_ that shook her to her very core. It was a hard, hot rage that seemed to ooze out and roll off him in waves, to hang in the air and suffocate her. It was rage that made her tremble on aching knees and wish suddenly for the comfort of black messy hair and big green eyes. What would Harry have said if he had been here? What would he have done if he'd seen Sirius' attack?

She could feel her face burning, her neck throbbing, and an uncomfortable ache in her throat as she tried to swallow. Her eyes stayed locked on Sirius', and anger bubbled around the pit of her stomach as she held his wide-eyed gaze. He had hurt her; he had actually physically hurt her. She was a girl, what was he doing attacking a girl? He knows for a fact he's stronger.

_Actually, you're stronger, a lot stronger. 'Cause you know, Werewolf and all?_

_So?_

_So you can't be angry at him on the grounds he attacked a girl, seeing as the fact of the matter is you're stronger and you could have pushed him off at any time_.

_Who's talking about facts? I'm talking about principle here, he didn't know I'm stronger than he is; therefore he attacked a potentially vulnerable girl! _

_Eh, do you want to know what's even more worrying?_

_What?_

_You're talking to yourself. Inside your head!_

Hermione scowled at her subconscious, and felt her anger beginning to rise again. Heat suffused her body as the anger continued to grow, and she couldn't decide what angered her more; the fact she left herself defenceless when she had more than the means to protect herself, or that Sirius had attacked her? Her eyes never moved from Sirius, and she watched him unblinking. His face had taken on a deathly pallor and his mouth worked soundlessly as he held her gaze. Was she angry at him?

Of course she was angry at him, the idiot had attacked her.

_He was only trying to protect his friend; you would have done the same._

_I wouldn't have attacked him._

_You've done it before!_

_Malfoy was different._

Hermione frowned as she fought very hard to be angry at him; she _wanted_ to be angry at him. He had attacked her, hurt her. So why wasn't she angry? Her frown deepened and she dropped her eyes to the floor and away from Sirius' impression of a fish.

A warm hand on her elbow, a searing heat which spread up her arm, and a familiar scent alerted Hermione to the fact that Lupin had moved and was now standing by her side; his hand gripped her chin softly and tilted it away from him, exposing her neck to him. His breath was smooth and warm on her skin as he inspected her neck, and she couldn't help the shiver that ran down her spine when his thumb brushed down the side of her neck, applying gentle pressure to the pulse point at the base of her neck. She bit back a groan as her body began to heat again when his warm moist breath washed over her as he spoke.

"Does it hurt?" His voice was low, almost a whisper, and hoarse with restrained anger. The man was trying to kill her, she swore it, he had to be, because every time he was near she ran a fever and got that little bit closer to heaven.

_Wow, how cheesy are you?_

_This is getting ridiculous._

She cleared her throat and shook her head out of his hand, "No, I'm ok." She rasped and grimaced at the sound of her voice; he'd know she was lying through her teeth. If he did, however, he never let on as he simply nodded, but refused to move away from his position pressed up against her side.

"I … Hermione I …" Sirius' voice broke as he tried desperately to find the words that evaded him, and took a single step towards her. A firm hand pulled her back by her elbow and she suddenly found herself partially shielded by Lupin as he now stood in front of her, with his arms folded across his chest in what she considered a very defensive stance. Was he trying to protect her?

"I think it would be best," Lupin's voice was hard, and he appeared to be addressing only Sirius, "if we took Hermione back to the tower now." Hermione shivered at the change in his tone when he said her name. Possessive like, like Sirius had no right to even breathe the same air as her. A thrill ran through her body at the possessive and overprotective way he seemed to be shielding her from everyone else, like no one but him was allowed to touch her.

"If she bruises, you bruise." His voice had been like poison as he addressed Sirius, who visibly flinched at the threat but did nothing more than nod resolutely.

_Poison … Poisonous … Aconite! Dumbledore!_

_You really are crazy! _Hermione ignored the voice.

"No, no tower!" she rasped out as she scrambled for her bag "I have to see Dumbledore" and she was running again, her feet moving at an inhuman speed as she took off down the corridor towards Dumbledore's office. Voices called out for her, and there was a soft tap of feet she realised was Lupin following her. Within minutes she was skidding to a halt in front of the familiar stone gargoyle, she was closely followed by Lupin who looked nothing like the panting mess she did.

"Hermione, can't this wait?" She shook her head vigorously and turned back to the statue.

"Acid Pops."

Nothing.

"Sugar Quills"

Nothing again.

Hermione frowned at it. The sound of heavy footfalls reverberated off the walls around her and she realised that the other three four had followed them as well. Anxiety welled in her stomach as she bobbed from foot to foot. _Ok, sweets … it's always sweets …_

"Pepper Imps."

"Pepper Imps?" Hermione turned to Lupin who looked utterly confused. "What are Pepper Imps?"

"Er, little black things? Make you breath fire?" Lupin just stared at her in a mixture of amusement and bewilderment, "They're popular where I come from." She mumbled as she turned back.

"Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans"

Nothing again.

"Fudge Flies" It was Lupin who spoke this time, to Hermione's surprise, and she smiled appreciatively at him as he continued to count of sweets on his fingers.

"Fizzing Whizbees" the footsteps down the corridor continued to grow louder, as did the sound of heavy breathing, and soon both sounds were ringing loudly in her ears. She needed to get inside that tower, quickly!

"What are you doing?" Hermione twirled to find the other four leaning up against the corridor wall panting heavily as they looked to Hermione in pure bewilderment. Hermione simply huffed impatiently.

"What does it look like I'm doing? Help me figure out the password." Sirius, James and Peter continued to look on incredulously whilst Lily gave a small chuckle before straightening up and moving towards the statue.

"Ice Mice." She called out clearly and with a grinding of stone the Gargoyle sprang to life. Without pausing to think Hermione jumped nimbly onto the moving stairs, followed closely by Lupin and the other four. The ride seemed to take forever as the stairs spiralled slowly upward into the tower, James and Peter rambling on in a never ending barrage of questions they never gave her time to answer.

With a shuddering jerk the stairs came to a grinding halt and Hermione jumped off completely unfazed, followed closely by Lupin, whilst the others seemed to wobble about precariously. She strode determinedly toward the large wooden door with a heavy gold plaque proclaiming the office it guarded belonged to _Albus Dumbledore_. It swung open before she even had a chance to reach it, to reveal a white haired old man sat behind a large cherry wood desk, smiling at her cheerily.

"Good afternoon, Miss Granger."

"Professor Dumbledore." Hermione greeted back as she swept into his office and slowed to a stop in front of his desk.

"Yes, Miss Granger, What can I do for you?" his cheerful tone never changed, but his face had taken on that slight rigid tension she always knew meant he was concerned about something.

"I was wondering if you still had the robes I was found in, Sir." There was a tense, pregnant silence where Dumbledore seemed to appraise her for a moment before standing and moving towards a large wooden table to his left and ringing a large golden bell that stood atop it. Hermione had no time to wonder what he was doing before a house elf appeared; a very familiar house elf with huge, green, tennis ball-sized eyes and a long thin nose like a pencil.

"Dobby?" The house-elf squeaked in surprise, and someone behind her – Hermione suspected it was Peter – made very much the same sound, whilst Dumbledore simply looked on in amusement.

"Dobby, meet Miss Granger, she recently joined us." Dumbledore waved his hand towards Hermione and the small elf bowed shakily to her.

"Dobby, I'd like you to fetch the robes I gave you for cleaning last Friday please." The House Elf disappeared and reappeared with a loud _Thwack_, handing over the folded garment to Dumbledore before disappearing again, all within a matter of seconds. Hermione had to wonder if she'd been seeing things. "Here you are, Miss Granger."

Nope, there were robes, she was _not_ seeing things. She was _not_ going crazy.

Dumbledore appeared apprehensive in handing over the robes, almost as if he were afraid of what she would do with them. Hermione, however, took no notice, her mind set on the crumpled piece of parchment she had pulled out of one of the robes pockets. It was slightly mushy and stuck together in places from having been washed along with the robe, but for the most part it appeared to be mostly discernable. Hermione gave off a strangled choke of triumph and shock.

"Hermione? What is it?" Lily had stepped up behind her and was staring down at the paper in confusion. "A Potion?" Hermione nodded numbly as she turned to face Lily and the boys. There was a brief second where she knew she shouldn't say anything, where she knew how much it would fuck things up, but her mouth had other ideas.

"The Wolfsbane Potion."

Once again Hermione had to wonder if time had stood still.

No one moved, no one spoke; no one even appeared to breathe as they stared at Hermione in complete shock. This was so not good.

Lupin had gone shock white and seemed to sway before collapsing back into a chair Hermione knew hadn't been there before. It was a soft looking chintz patterned armchair very typical of the Albus Dumbledore style and when Hermione turned to look at him, sure enough there he stood with his wand in hand. He was also looking back at her.

"If I may be so bold, Miss Granger- What exactly is the Wolfsbane Potion?" Hermione swallowed thickly.

"Wolfsbane prevents the dementia which accompanies the transformation from human into werewolf, during the full moon." Her voice was thick and husky and broke half way through her answer. Dumbledore merely nodded, as if he had been expecting it; which, given Lupins reaction to her divulgence, wasn't all that surprising.

"And this is something widely used where you come from?" He was moving towards her now, and taking the roll of parchment from her hand. "The directions for brewing it seem to have been washed away; however, the ingredients still appear to be in tact."

Hermione cleared her throat nervously.

"My old Potions Master used to brew it every month for someone," her eyes flickered to Lupin who was watching her in wide-eyed astonishment, "I was led to believe it's a very long and very taxing potion to brew."

"Would you be willing to attempt brewing it, if you had the help of one of your friends here?" Dumbledore inquired as he handed the parchment back to her. Hermione could do nothing but nod numbly. Dumbledore turned to the red-haired Gryffindor at Hermione's side "Well then, Miss Evans, would you be up to the task?"

Lily jumped slightly as she looked to Dumbledore in shock and flushed red as she gaped and stuttered out her reply "Of course, Professor."

Dumbledore's cheery smile returned full force.

"Wonderful, be sure to make enough for yourself and Mr. Lupin, won't you, Miss Granger? I hardly think it fair to withhold such a thing from him." Hermione merely nodded and bit down on her tongue, lest it get any more ideas. God knows it appeared to have a mind of its own. He was after all the reason she was even bothering with the potion.

She didn't need him know that, though.

* * *

The trip back to the tower was made in complete silence, the four boys walking up ahead of Hermione and Lily; no one talked or even acknowledged anyone else. The unusually subdued group had gotten a fair few strange looks as they wondered slowly through the halls of Hogwarts up to Gryffindor Tower. Dinner had started by the time they made it back, but no one had felt like eating and so Hermione had begged off exhaustion and proceeded to move towards her room. But not before Sirius could pull her off to one side, apparently to apologise.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you, it's just, there's so much we don't know about you. So much has happened so quickly and I don't want my friends hurt…" He trailed off as his gaze dropped to the floor and Hermione felt her heart ache with pity for the poor man in front of her she had seen so broken and beaten two years before. She had seen him haunted and tortured by the losses in his life. Falsely accused and imprisoned in a hell on earth for twelve years. She couldn't let that happen to him. Not now.

Hermione took a step closer to him and slipped her arms around his waist drawing him as close as she could. He smelt of Halloween; Cinnamon and spiced apples and the fresh scent of his soap. She liked his scent' it had an element of safety to it that Hermione found comfortable. She felt large arms enclose her and he buried his face in the russet curls atop her head. Shame and anger seemed to roll of him in waves as Hermione continued to hold him close to her.

"I have to thank you Sirius," the boy merely snorted disbelievingly, "Maybe not for actually attacking me, but you proved to me that there are still people in this world who care about more than just themselves, I didn't believe people like that still existed until today. So if not for the bruises then thank you for restoring my faith." Sirius' only answer was to tighten his hold on her.

Hermione loosed her hold on the black haired boy and took a step back, reaching up on tip-toes to place a light kiss on his cheek before stepping away completely. "All's forgiven, Sirius. Don't beat yourself up about it, ok?" Sirius simply nodded his head and smiled gratefully.

When Hermione turned to say goodnight to the other four, she hadn't expect to find herself faced with a very angry Remus Lupin, but that's exactly what she got. He was stood away from Peter, James and Lily, by the fire and his eyes burnt with pure rage as he glared at Sirius; his face was terrible and Hermione felt a thrill run down her spine as she took in the magnificent sight that was Remus Lupin.

Sirius seemed to flinch and shrink under Lupin's stare and Hermione knew without a doubt there would be an argument between them that night. A wave of guilt washed over Hermione as the knowledge that she was the catalyst in this argument hit her full force. She momentarily entertained the idea of staying to make sure world war three didn't break out before a wave of exhaustion swept over her and she decided she was better off going up to the dorm. Nothing was going to stop the battle that was about to commence.

And that's where she found herself; curled up on her bed, draped in a pair of shorts from Lily and one of Sirius' old _Falmouth Falcons_ Quidditch shirts, adding the finishing touches to the second draft of her Potions essay.

Hermione gave a satisfied smile as she set her quill in the inkwell and sat back to survey her work. Hermione liked work, it had a funny way of calming her in a way it never did for anyone else. The Parchment, the ink, the books, the words, they offered her a solace from the stress of life and meshed together into a world where Hermione could lose herself, if only for a short time. But in the end it was always there for her, so easy to find and slip into and no one would think her more than a simple bookworm who overachieved. Her books and her work had been the only things in Hermione's life that had given without asking in return.

But exhaustion hastened to her on swift wings and Hermione resentfully rolled up the parchment with a promise that she would write up her third and final draft the following evening, for now she needed to sleep and forget the day behind her.

She had just settled her Parchment on her trunk at the foot of her bed when the door opened to reveal a very haggard looking Lily Evans. The sound of raised voices floated in through the open doorway and both girls grimaced in pity for Sirius.

"If you ever touch her again, I'll fucking kill you." Hermione's stomach lurched painfully as she listened to Lupin threatening Sirius. It was her fault, it was all her fault. She was coming between friends, and causing arguments. She shouldn't be here; she was changing everything and causing problems that needn't be caused. Hermione desperately wished she could go back to her own time with Harry and Ron and giggling roommates who thought her boring; not here causing arguments between friends, surrounded by people she knew to be dead in her own time.

"How are you feeling?" Hermione's head whipped to her left to find Lily pulling on a pair of red silk pyjamas, a look of utmost concern smeared across her face. Hermione's stomach lurched painfully again.

"I'm fine, just a little exhausted is all." She replied in a hoarse voice and she cringed at the pain that seared along her throat when she spoke. Sirius was obviously a lot stronger than he looked. Lily moved around her bed and came to rest beside Hermione. She lifted her fingers to graze softly against the slightly swollen flesh of Hermione's neck.

"It's already starting to bruise." She said softly "I know some cosmetic charms that'll cover up the worst of it, if you'd like?" Hermione merely nodded and looked down at her hands as the sound of raised voices reached her sensitive ears. She felt a lump rise in her throat as waves of guilt washed over her. Why wouldn't they stop arguing?

"Hermione? What's wrong?" Lily's voice was soft and soothing and the hand that smoothed through her hair made her feel sleepy. Hermione was glad to have found Lily here. "Hermione?"

"They're arguing because of me. It's all my fault; I don't want them to argue because of me, it's not worth it. I'm not worth it." Hermione choked out as tears began streaming down her face.

"Oh Hermione," Lily's arms wrapped around Hermione's shoulders who turned into the warmth the red headed girl offered her, "they argue all the time. Sometimes it's worse than other times, but it's nothing to worry about. They'll be friends again tomorrow. You watch." Hermione didn't believe her but she nodded anyway. Hermione was most definitely glad to have found Lily.

"Now, on a lighter note, what's going on with you and Remus?" Hermione wiped the tears from her face and turned to look at Lily in confusion. _Her and Remus_?

"I don't know what you mean?" Hermione sniffled and Lily threw her head back and laughed right out. It was a tinkle of a laugh that shivered its way down Hermione's spine and made her feel warm and happy. Lily was one of those few people in life who felt like home to anyone who knew her. And James was going to be a very lucky man.

"Oh come on Hermione, your obviously attracted to him," Hermione tried as hard as she could to stop the radiant blush that lit her face but Lily just laughed again, "and as far as I'm concerned he's obviously attracted to you." Hermione's protests were cut off by Lily's hand. "Don't even try to deny it. I've known Remus for nearly seven years now, I can read him like a book. There's something that's drawing him to you." Hermione snorted.

"Yeah it's called Lycanthropy." She said waspishly.

Lily merely smiled mysteriously and replied with softly spoken "Maybe. But you never denied being attracted to him."

Lily jumped up off Hermione's bed and bounded over to her own before Hermione could reply and promptly crawled under the covers. "What I think we'd all like to know, however, is what's going on with this Wolfsbane thing?" Hermione stilled in the pulling back of her quilt as she fought desperately for an answer within the swirling mess that was her mind.

What was she supposed to tell them?

_The truth!_

_I can't tell her the truth!_

_Of course you can …_

_No I can't!_

Hermione made a show of getting into bed and sorting her bed clothes in an attempt to buy herself more time. Lily simply sat and watched her calmly, expectantly. Hermione sighed in defeat and stopped playing around with her pillows.

"What did you want to know?" she asked blandly. Lily sat up straighter smiling in excitement.

"How did you get your hands on the ingredients and directions? You said it was still in development! And I know for a fact you were lying about who developed it, because Damocles Belby is in the year below us, unless you meant his Grandfather Damocles Belby, who is actually a Lycanthrope, but I doubt it was him seeing as Wolfsbane in its plant form can be lethal to a Lycanthrope. That's why Dumbledore asked me to help you. So, what's going on Hermione?"

Hermione couldn't help the look of complete shock that crossed her face, nor could she help the strangled sound she made in the back of her throat as blind panic took over her body. Her mind had gone completely blank save for the _Oh Fuck_ that had briefly passed through it and the urge to flee rocked through Hermione's body in waves.

What the fuck was she going to do?

_Tell her the truth._

_I can't._

_Why the hell not?_

_I just can't._

_Of course you can, all you do is say: "Lily, I'm from the future." Go on, try it._

_No, I can't._

_Do it._

_No._

_Do it, now._

_Please, I can't._

_Hermione, tell her now!_

"Oh God, Lily you're not going to believe me." Hermione's breath was coming in quick gasps now. Could she really do this?

"Of course I will. Hermione, what is it?" Hermione swallowed thickly as she gazed into the open face of her red headed companion and prepared herself for the words about to come out of her mouth. This was really it, she was telling one of them.

God this had seemed so much easier in her head.

"Lily, I'm from the future."

* * *

A/N: Woo there we go! I'm so sorry it took so long to get out but with exams and real life I haven't had much time to write.

**Ok, I have bad news! **

I'm going to have to put the story on hold for a little while. I have to do this for multiple reasons:

I have A Level exams starting Monday which I've hardly revised for!

I'm moving country to Gibraltar in the first week of July and so between studying, exams and the whole moving shabam I won't have much time to write and probably wouldn't have a chapter done by the time I leave.

I don't know when I'm going to get my internet connection set up in Gibraltar. Hopefully I should have it up mid-July/ end of July.

However, seeing as I have a laptop, I can still write up my chapters and I will continue to do so! This means, when I do get back online you will have at the _very_ least two very long chapters waiting for you to read.

I'm really sorry about all this guys, but I swear to you by **the Gods**, I will not be giving up on this story! I WILL finish it. I just have to put it off for a while.

Again, I'm really sorry about this. But like I said, you'll have at least two very special presents when I get back.

So, wish me luck in my exams and with moving and I'll be seeing you all soon hopefully.

Love,

Kaymanay.


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